Time Can Be Rewritten
by IdrilSilmarwenEamaneLuinwe
Summary: The Doctor has said goodbye to Rose in the parallel universe when she gets a visit from Bad Wolf and told that she can go back to her Doctor by rewriting her own timeline.
1. Prologue - Doomsday Goodbye

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything.

I'm rewriting the chapters so they are all in the same tense… but other than that they will remain the same.

OoOoOo

**Doomsday Goodbye**

Rose smiled sadly as the Doctor spoke to her, tears rolling down her cheeks as he confirmed that after this moment she could never see him again.

She looked into his eyes and saw the same sadness reflected in them. He finally spoke again "Rose Tyler -" he vanished before he could say the sentence she longed to hear.

She just stared blankly at the spot where he had stood, before it hit her; she would never hear his voice, his laugh, his childlike enthusiasm again. She would never see him again except for in her memories.

Rose fell to her knees as she finally allowed her grief to show, a heart wrenching sob tore its way from her body as she clutched her chest in agony.

She didn't even notice her mother, Jackie Tyler and her best friend, Mickey Smith pulling her to her feet and guiding to her to her car as she continued to mourn the life which she could have had with the Doctor, with her love.

Eventually the tears stopped and were replaced by an apathetic numbness as Mickey Smith and Pete and Jackie Tyler continued on around her not knowing how to help.

Days passed as the world moved on around Rose Tyler whilst she was still stuck on the beach in Bad Wolf Bay speaking with her Doctor for the last time.

When she slept she relived her past with her Doctor. Her leather Doctor and her pinstriped Doctor. Those memories were what she lived for now in this parallel world.

It was during one of those memories of a distant planet with Jack and her Doctor that everything just turned white.

No walls. No floor. No people. Nothing.

"Hello Rose Tyler" An ethereal voice spoke.

Rose turned quickly but could see nothing "Who are you?" she asked the question to the air.

"I go by many names. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the Heart of the TARDIS. I am you Rose Tyler"

Rose turned back and came face to face with herself.

"How are you me?"

Bad Wolf smiled "Together we saved our Doctor from the false God"

"B-but he took you away from me! That's why he changed" Rose whispered.

"He didn't take everything. He couldn't otherwise you would have died"

Rose looked at Bad Wolf curiously "I thought I would've died if he hadn't took you from me"

Bad Wolf shrugged "When you looked into the Heart of the TARDIS, you became the Heart of the TARDIS. The TARDIS cannot exist without her Heart, as you cannot exist without her"

"What can I do then?"

Bad Wolf grinned "I take you back to our Doctor"

"You can do that?" Hope and excitement entered Rose's eyes for the first time she had been in the parallel world.

"Yes, to an extent - I can take you back to when you first met the Doctor"

Rose smiled "In the basement of Hendricks"

"Yes, you can change things and save lives however some things must happen and cannot be stopped. The TARDIS will warn you, she will remember her Heart"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose asked "Do it, send me back to him"

Bad Wolf grinned at her enthusiasm "Certainly…"

Just as Rose was enveloped in darkness she heard Bad Wolf say "Oh and remember to make him ask twice"

Rose winced as she returned to reality and saw the autons about to kill her, when she felt a hand slip into hers she turned her head to the side and saw her first Doctor in leather.

He was smiling as he spoke to her for the first time.

"Run"

OoOoOo

Please Review and let me know what you think.

I'll be doing a chapter for each episode.


	2. Chapter 1 - Rose

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

OoOoOo

**Rose**

"Run"

Rose ran after the Doctor her hand clutched tightly in his as the shop dummies hand came down onto the pipe.

She looked back to see the Autons chasing them and couldn't stop a smile as the Doctor led her into the lift.

She watched as the Doctor pulled the arm of the Auton who shoved it's arm into the lift and couldn't stop herself from saying incredulously "You pulled his arm off!"

"Yep!" The Doctor responded happily "Plastic" he added, as he threw the arm to her.

Rose stared at his back for a moment hardly believing she was really back here and not just in a memory.

"So, I take it they're not students then?" Rose stated changing her question from last time.

"Why do you say that?" The Doctor asked, glancing at her curiously.

"Well, at first I thought they must be students to get that many people dressed up and being silly, but you just pulled it's arm off and it's plastic" Rose responded.

"That makes sense, well done" The Doctor replied slightly patronizing.

Rose bit back a retort as she rolled her eyes at her leather Doctor, when she suddenly remembered why she'd been down there in the first place; "What happened to Wilson? Did they kill him?" she asked sadly, knowing the answer.

"Who's Wilson?" The Doctor asked confused.

"Chief Electrician".

The Doctor frowned "Wilson's dead".

Rose nodded sadly as the lift opened and they both exited.

"Hold on" The Doctor moved her to the side "Mind your eyes" he said as he used the sonic screwdriver to disable the lift.

Rose smiled at the Doctors back as he worked, she hadn't realised how much she had missed this Doctor. She was brought out of her reminiscence by the Doctor running ahead of her.

"Who are they then!?" Rose shouted after the Doctor "I said, who are they?!" she repeated when he seemed to ignore her.

"They're made of plastic, living plastic creatures and they're being controlled by a relay device on the roof which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this" He replied pulling a bomb out of his pocket, as he led her out into an alleyway "I'm gonna go upstairs and blow it up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me, no, you go home. Go on. Go have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do you'll get them killed" He ended seriously before shutting the door.

Rose stood their in shock for a moment. _As though anyone could forget you Doctor, even in my original timeline I couldn't, _she thought smiling slightly at the memories of her younger self searching for the Doctor, even going so far as to speak with a conspiracy theorist.

The door reopened "I'm the Doctor by the way, what's your name?" He asked softly.

"Rose. Rose Tyler"

"Nice to meet you Rose Tyler, run for your life" He said waving the bomb at her.

Rose ran. She ran across the road like last time and turned to see Henricks get blown up.

In all her memory replays she had never actually felt anything. She hadn't felt the Doctor's hand in hers. But now she had, and she could feel the heat from the explosion, the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Bad Wolf really had brought her back to 2005!

She almost laughed with joy at the fact she really was here with her Doctor and not just in a memory that she'd eventually have to leave.

Then as she turned to run home, she noticed she was stood next to the TARDIS.

"Hello old girl" Rose muttered softly to the Spaceship "I'll see you soon yeah?" she grinned as she stroked the side of the TARDIS and felt her nudge the back of her mind.

The TARDIS' presence bringing warmth and comfort as she recognised her Heart returning to fix her Thief.

Rose's smile widened as she ran back to her home.

OoOoOo

Her mum was on the phone again like last time exaggerating, but Rose couldn't help smiling.

This was her mum! Back when she was innocent and didn't know about aliens and hadn't taken on Slitheen or Cybermen and didn't have a heartbroken apathetic daughter to look after in a different universe.

Mickey walked in and rushed over to her, hugging her as he rambled on about how worried he was.

She grinned and hugged him back, she remembered how Mickey saved her mum's life, how he had fearlessly saved the parallel world and how he had come back and fought the Cybermen and Daleks as well.

"I'm alright Mickey, really" She said happily.

"But what happened?" He asked sitting down next to her.

"I dunno" Rose shrugged, still smiling at her best friend.

"What was it? What caused it though?" Mickey pressed, concern etched on his face as he looked at Rose.

"I wasn't even in the shop, I was outside and didn't even see anything" Rose repeated the lie from last time.

Jackie came over then and interrupted them "It's Debbie on the other end, she knows a man from the mirror - five hundred quid for an interview!"

Rose rolled her eyes "Oh that's brilliant! Give it here" as her mum passed over the phone she hung up.

Jackie Tyler sighed "Well you've got to find some way of making money, your jobs kaput and I'm not bailing you out."

The phone rang again, she picked it up and spoke "Bev! She's alive" as she left the living room.

"What're you drinking? Tea? Nah that's no good, you're in shock you need something stronger" Mickey said inspecting her mug, before standing up.

"I'm alright, really"

"You deserve a proper drink, you and me, we're going down the pub, my treat. How about it?"

Rose smirked "Is there a match on?"

"No, no I was just thinking about you, babe" He replied sitting back down next to her.

"There's a match on, ain't there?" She smiled.

"Well, that's not the point. We could catch the last five minutes" He said hopefully.

"No, go on I'm fine really - get rid of that" Rose smiled pointing at the plastic arm.

Mickey kissed her before getting up and leaving with the plastic arm.

"Bye-bye" He said waving the arm before pretending to choke and leaving.

Rose grinned to herself as she thought how he would become a great man - Mickey Smith, Defender of the Earth.

OoOoOo

The next morning she woke up at 7 30 when her alarm went off and she heard her mums voice.

"No point in getting up sweetheart, you've got no job to go to"

She sighed and fell back on her bed, remembering the last 24 hours.

Bad Wolf. Returning to her past body. The Doctor blowing up her job. The living plastic.

She smiled as she remembered her adventures with this Doctor. She always thought she never had enough time with him. Despite how much she loved her pinstriped Doctor, she had fallen in love with her leather Doctor.

Maybe now she could get this Doctor to say it first, rather than his next regeneration.

She smiled at the thought, before getting up.

She sat in the kitchen playing with an apple remembering the day the Doctor had regenerated and kept finding fruit in the pocket of his dressing gown, she had to smile now, even at the memory of his antics.

"You know mum, I've been thinking of going travelling" She said interrupting Jackie as she told Rose about possible jobs "I've got money from my job and now I have no job"

Jackie sat at the table next to her daughter "What's brought this on?"

"Well as you said, I was seconds away from death at the shop. So why don't I go see the world whilst I still have time left to see it?"

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Jackie asked concerned.

Rose smiled "Yeah, I really am."

Jackie smiled as she gave her daughter a hug "If it's what you want to do, then that's fine - as long as you keep in touch!" She added the last part sternly.

"Of course, mum" Rose grinned, she certainly couldn't leave her again for a year.

Jackie went into her bedroom, whilst Rose heard rattling.

Rose smiled in anticipation as she went to the door, she knelt down pulling her hair out of her face as she looked at the cat flap.

She jumped a little as the cat flap was moved violently, so she poked it back a little and then fully to reveal the Doctor's face.

She grinned as she jumped up to open the door.

The Doctor was staring at her in confusion "What're you doing here?"

"I live here" Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor, for a genius he could sometimes be a bit slow on the uptake.

"Well what do you do that for?"

"Cos I do. I'm only at home, because somebody blew up my job" Rose tried really hard to sound annoyed and keep the grin off her face as she spoke.

"Must've got the wrong signal" He said looking at his sonic screwdriver "You're not plastic are you?"

He knocked on her head. Hard.

He smiled slightly "No, bone head. Bye then"

Rose grabbed his arm then and pulled him in "You, inside. Right now."

The Doctor looked at her confused as she shut the door.

Jackie shouted "Who is it?"

Rose peeked into her mum's room "It's about last night, just give us ten minutes." She said before walking into the living room.

"She deserves compensation."

The Doctor looked around before resting on the doorframe to Jackie's room, "Huh, we're talking millions" he replied absently.

Rose frowned she didn't remember this, so she listened as her mum responded flirtatiously "I'm in my dressing gown"

Rose had to hold back a groan as the Doctor answered "Yes, you are."

"There's a strange man in my bedroom"

"Yes there is."

Rose sniggers at the completely clueless response, and grabs the Doctor's arm "Sorry mum, but we need to talk about last night," she said saving him from a very awkward situation.

She led him into her living room then "Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?"

"Might as well thanks. Just milk" He replies.

As she went in to make the coffee, she observed silently as the Doctor started to look around the living room.

He picked up a gossip magazine "That wont last, he's gay and she's an alien" he threw it back down before picking up a book and flicking through it "Sad ending".

He then picked up an envelope "Rose Tyler" He read before throwing it back and looking in the mirror "Ahh, could've been worse" he started to mess with his ears "look at me' ears".

He then shuffled a pack of cards as he sang "Luck be a lady!", he shuffled them again managing to make them all go flying, causing Rose to suppress a laugh as she watched him mess around.

"Maybe not" He said looking down at the cards, before they heard a scuffling behind the sofa "What's that then? You got a cat?" he asked leaning behind the sofa.

"We did have -" Rose trailed off as she saw the dummies arm jump out from behind the sofa and latch onto the Doctor's neck. She rushed into the living room and attempted to pull the arm away from him.

She fell back as the Doctor threw the arm off him, and landed on the coffee table again like last time, the arm was clutched tightly in her hands as it attempted to get back to a living victim.

The Doctor rushed from the sofa and pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and started to work to stop the arm.

He smiled as he took the arm off her then "It's alright, I've stopped it. There you go, you see?" He tossed the arm to Rose "'Armless" he chuckled.

She snorted as she said "Do you think?" before she hit him on the shoulder with it.

"Ow!" He rubbed his arm as he scowled at her.

The Doctor then took off running down the stairs on the Powell Estate, the arm in his possession now, as Rose took off after him with a smile as she shouted "You cant just go swanning off!"

The Doctor continued to run as he responded "Yes I can. Here I am, this is me, swanning off. See ya!"

"That arm was moving, it tried to kill us!"

"Ten out of ten for observation!"

Rose rolled her eyes, she had forgotten how difficult this Doctor could be.

"At least tell me what's going on" Rose said as they exited the Powell Estate "You said if I talked I'd get people killed, you could at least explain why"

The Doctor continued walking "Or what you'll start talking?" he challenged.

Rose knew she'd get nowhere with that line of questioning so she tried again "You could tell me who you are?"

"I told you! The Doctor."

"But Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor"

"The Doctor"

"Hello!" He said happily.

She laughed "Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of"

"Come on. You can tell me. Are you the police?"

"No" He said frowning "I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home"

"How comes those plastic things tried to kill us?"

"It was after me not you!" He said looking at her "The only reason it fixed on you is that you met me"

"So what? Your saying that the entire world revolves around you?"

The Doctor grinned "Sort of, yeah"

Rose giggled, she really had missed this Doctor "Your full of it!"

"Sort of, yeah"

"Who else knows about it? This plastic stuff?" Rose pressed on.

"No one"

Rose almost hated to ask this next question "What, your all on your own?"

The Doctor glanced at her, her large hazel eyes staring at him with a deep sadness reflected in them as if she understood his pain, he mentally shook himself out of it - she was just another stupid ape who couldn't possibly understand "Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly! When all the time underneath you, there's a war going on!"

Rose takes the plastic arm off him "Start from the beginning"

He raised his eyebrows at the command.

"This living plastic thing. How did you kill it?" Rose inwardly rolled her eyes, she hated having to play the dumb card.

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

"So that's what? Radio control?"

"Thought control" The Doctor corrected, before looking at her concerned "Are you alright?"

Rose nodded "Yeah. Who's controlling it?"

"Long story"

Rose almost grinned as she remembered the following part of the conversation "What's it all for? I mean shop window dummies? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

They laughed before the Doctor said "No"

"I know"

"It's not a price war" The Doctor joked.

Rose giggled whilst the Doctor laughed again.

He stopped and turned to her suddenly serious "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

Rose looked at him "Yeah," she replied.

The Doctor looked shocked for a moment before asking curiously "Why?"

"You've saved my life at least once from these plastic things" Rose answered honestly "I saw that hand move on it's own, and you must really believe what your saying to have blown up my job" she added the last part with a tongue in tooth grin as she teased him, the Doctor just grinned at her before he started to walk on again.

"If you need help Doctor, you know where to find me"

The Doctor stopped and turned to her in surprise "Why would you want to help?"

Rose smiled softly "You said it Doctor, you're all on your own trying to stop this living plastic" She paused before adding "If it does want to take over the world and you're the only one who knows about it, then you're the only thing stopping it from destroying us"

The Doctor almost smiled at Rose's words, but she couldn't possibly understand the danger otherwise she wouldn't make that offer. "You should forget me Rose Tyler" he said instead as he took the arm from her and waved it in her face "Go home"

She watched him walk away and disappear in the TARDIS before she finally turned to go home.

OoOoOo

Rose sighed as she remembered how she strung Mickey along in the last timeline. She couldn't do that to him again.

"Hey Mickey" She said as he opened the door to his flat, and he looked rather… plastic, obviously so, she was surprised she hadn't seen it last time "You want to go out for pizza, I was thinking we need to talk" She said playing oblivious to the plastic.

"Pizzaaa! P-p-p-pizza!"

Rose frowned, really how hadn't she noticed that? Did she really neglect Mickey that much so as to not notice any differences.

Once they were at the restaurant she spoke up, going by the original conversation "Do you think I should try the hospital? Dishing out chips in the canteen?" She rolled her eyes with a fond smile as she remembered her pinstriped Doctor making her do exactly that in a school "I could do A-levels…"

Rose trailed off, Mickey wasn't even blinking as he stared at her grinning in such an inhuman way that she was really saddened by how she had treated Mickey in the past.

She shook herself out of her thoughts as she continued "It's all Jimmy Stones' fault. I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up. What do you think?"

Mickey leaned forward "So where did you meet this Doctor?"

Rose blinked at him "I don't think I mentioned the Doctor"

Mickey ignored her and continued on "Because, I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Is he something to do with that?"

"Mickey what's gotten into you?" Rose questioned him.

Mickey continued on "What was he doing there?"

"I'm not going on about him Mickey" Rose sighed "He said it was too dangerous"

"But you can trust me sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart" He said slipping into a weird voice "You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really wanna do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

Rose tried not to grin as she saw the Doctor approaching with a bottle of champagne.

"Your champagne" The Doctor offered the bottle to Mickey.

Mickey didn't look up as he responded "We didn't order any champagne" he gripped Rose's hand tightly "Where's the Doctor?"

The Doctor moved to Rose's side "Ma'am. Your champagne"

She looked up at the Doctor, her eyes wide as he winked at her.

Mickey continued ignoring the 'waiter' as he pulled her hand towards him "I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?"

"Look we didn't order an-" Mickey raised his eyes to see the Doctor holding the champagne "Ah. Gotcha"

Rose moved her hand out from Mickey's grasp and prepared herself to run from the seat as the Doctor shook the bottle of champagne.

"Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!"

The cork of the champagne popped out and hit Mickey squarely on the head, his forehead absorbing the cork before the Auton spits it out.

"Anyway" The Auton said before his hands turned into clubs and he began to smash his way through the table.

Rose quickly moved out of the way as the Doctor grabbed the Auton's head and pulled it off.

A man at another table screamed, whilst the Doctor grinned as the head spoke "Don't think that's gonna stop me!"

Rose ran to the fire alarm and pressed it "Everyone out! Out now!" Everyone ran for the exit as the headless Auton started to randomly smash tables to get to them.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Rose shouted as her and the Doctor ran through the kitchen with the Auton following close behind them.

The Doctor lead them both through the back exit, shutting the metal door on the Auton and locking it with his sonic screwdriver.

Rose ran to the gate like last time and shouted "Open the gate! Use that tube thing!"

The Doctor barely glanced at her as he responded "What, this?" as he held up the sonic screwdriver "This is a sonic screwdriver" he paused as he unlocked the TARDIS "Tell ya what, let's go in here"

He entered the TARDIS as Rose held back a laugh of joy. She lookd to where the Auton was smashing through the door and grinned as she ran to the TARDIS.

She shut the door behind her as she entered the TARDIS and looked around in awe. No matter how many times you saw the TARDIS you never stop wondering at her beauty.

Rose felt the TARDIS in her mind then give her something like a mental hug in thanks.

Rose ran her hand over one of the coral columns _I missed you old girl _Rose thought as she stroked the coral.

The TARDIS seemed to sigh happily in agreement in the back of her mind.

"Wont it follow us?" Rose asked absently.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute" Rose watched as the Doctor wired the Autons head to the console. "You see, the arm is too simple, but the head's perfect" he added as he worked "I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source" He then turned to look at Rose who still had a hand on the coral and said "Where do you want to start?"

"The outside's smaller than the inside?" She grinned inwardly as the Doctor frowned at the reversed statement, she felt the TARDIS' amusement as she spoke.

"Yes"

"It's alien" Rose mentally apologised to the TARDIS as she called her _it_.

"Yup"

"Are you alien?"

"Yes" The Doctor stared at Rose as he added "Is that alright?"

Rose grinned "Yeah"

The Doctor stared at her in confusion.

"Your ship, she's beautiful" Rose said as she looked around, granting her another mental hug from the TARDIS.

The Doctor frowned "How'd you know she was a she?"

Rose shrugged "I thought all ships were female?"

The Doctor grinned at her "Makes sense. She's called the TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time And Relative Dimension In Space"

Rose smiled before glancing behind the Doctor "Mickey's melting Doctor"

The Doctor turned around quickly "Oh, no no no no no NO!" he moved frantically around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"What're you doing?"

"Reviving the signal, it's fading! Wait I've got it…" The Doctor trailed off as he looked at the screen "No No No No No No NO!" The TARDIS shook as the Doctor tried to follow the signal "Almost there! Almost there! Here we go!" The shaking stopped and the Doctor ran out of the TARDIS.

Rose rolled her eyes and followed him.

"I lost the signal, I got so close!" The annoyance was radiating from him.

"We've moved! Does it fly?" Rose questioned the Doctor as she looked around.

"Disappears there, reappears here. You wouldn't understand" The Doctor replied shortly.

Rose arched an eyebrow as she challenged "Try me"

The Doctor glanced at her for a moment "Maybe later"

"Is there a chance that he's alive, Doctor?"

The Doctor glanced at her, questioning.

"Mickey! You pulled of his head and you just went and forgot him!"

He rolled his eyes, unconcerned "Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

"Yeah he's not a kid" Rose interrupted, remembering all the things Mickey had done to save them both.

The Doctor glared at her "It's because I'm trying to save the life of every _stupid _ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?!"

Rose glared back at the Doctor "Alright!" she really had forgotten how much he had aggravated her at first.

"Yes! It is!"

Rose shook her head a little, the Doctor always had to have the last word.

"If you are an alien, then how comes you sound like your from the North?" Rose asked, remembering one of her favourite conversations.

"Lot's of planets have a North" He folded his arms indignantly as he replied and looked away.

Rose frowned as the Doctor still looked defensive "What's a police public call box?" she asked knowing the TARDIS could get him to loosen up.

He turned to face her again "It's a telephone box from the 1950's." The Doctor patted the TARDIS fondly as he grinned "it's a disguise."

Rose smiled "I like it, very retro" she paused before adding "this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

The Doctor looked at her "Nothing, it loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all it's protein planets rotted, so Earth… dinner!"

"So how do we stop it?"

Grinning, the Doctor pulled the anti-plastic out of his jacket.

Rose rolled her eyes as she asked "First a bomb and now this? What else do you keep in there?"

The Doctor chuckled "This is anti-plastic"

"Anti-plastic?" Rose said with an arched eyebrow saying 'really?'.

"Anti-plastic!" The Doctor grinned "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hide what?"

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal." He replied looking around.

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London" He paced around agitated. "A huge circular metal structure… like a dish…" He stood facing Rose, behind him the London Eye loomed above them but the Doctor like last time didn't appear to register it as he continued to speak "… like a wheel. Close to where we're standing. Must be _completely _invisible."

Rose just stared past him as if considering the Eye.

"What?"

Rose merely nodded towards the Eye, the Doctor turned around and then looked back to her completely nonplussed.

"What?" He repeated.

Rose's lips twitched as she tried not to laugh, as she nodded towards the eye again.

The Doctor turned around again, but still failed to make the connection as he turned back to her and said "What is it? What?"

When she just continued staring at it, he turned back around and finally clocked the Eye "Oh… Fantastic" He said with a grin which Rose returned.

Rose was still grinning as they ran hand in hand across London Bridge towards the Eye, when they came to a halt in front of it the Doctor spoke "Think of it. Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…" he trailed off.

"The breast implants" Rose joked.

The Doctor continued on ignoring her "Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Rose ran off to find the manhole and shouted "What about down here?"

The Doctor ran over to her and grinned "Looks good to me"

Rose was still smiling as they ran down to the manhole and watched silently as the Doctor removed the lid and red light and smoke poured out.

She followed him down the ladder and through another door into a chamber and they walked down some steps, the Doctor pointed to a huge, orange, wobbling mass in the middle of the chamber and said "The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside the vat. A living, plastic creature"

"Well, go and talk it out of invading then" Rose said knowing how much he hated it, when humans would rather kill aliens than settle things peacefully.

"What?" The Doctor asked bitterly "You don't just want me to go tip in the anti-plastic."

Rose shook her head "You've got to give it a chance Doctor, otherwise what makes us better than that" she motioned to the Consciousness "The living plastic have already killed and tried to kill, but if we just murder that creature without giving it a way out, then how are we any different?"

The Doctor stared at Rose in shock, before he smiled wryly "Right you are Rose Tyler"

The Doctor went down the steps and leaned over the railings a little as he spoke "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract. According to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation"

Rose's eyes widened a little as she heard words from the Consciousness rather than just noise.

"Thank you. That I might have permission to approach"

Rose glanced around then and saw Mickey cowering near a rail "Mickey! Doctor, they kept him alive"

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

Rose rolled her eyes and shot back "Well thanks for being so upfront about that, really!"

The Doctor glanced at her "Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?"

"Prat" She muttered as she helped Mickey to his feet "Come on Mickey, it's alright now"

The Doctor approached the Consciousness and spoke "Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" The Doctor grinned at his own pun whilst Rose snorted.

"Oh don't give me that, its an invasion! Plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional rights!"

"I. Am. Talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go"

Rose watched as two autons approached the Doctor "Doctor!" she screamed out too late as they grabbed him and removed the anti-plastic from his jacket.

The Doctor shouted out desperately "That was just insurance! I wasn't going to use it!"

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not… what do you mean?"

Doors opened behind Rose and Mickey to reveal the TARDIS, Rose lead Mickey over to the doors where Mickey fell to his knees whimpering and cowering a little. A far cry from the Mickey she had left behind.

"Oh, oh no - honestly, no!" The Doctor replied to the Consciousness anxiously "Yes, that's my ship"

"That's not true! I should know, I was there." Rose's heart broke for the Doctor as she heard the raw pain in his voice as he spoke about the war "I fought in the war - it wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

Rose felt a single tear fall down her cheek as she heard the pain and guilt in his voice, as though it was his fault.

"What's it doing?" She shouted down to the Doctor, her voice shaking.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene has identified its superior technology - it's terrified! It's going to the final base. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it! Now!" This time Rose could hear the panic in the Doctor's voice, the fear that he was helpless to stop the invasion.

Rose stood and ran over to the chain, last time she had wasted precious moments being a coward - not this time.

She picked up an axe and started hitting the chain "I've still got no A-levels! No job! No future! But I've still got Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I still got the bronze!" The chain came loose and she used it to swing over the Consciousness, kicking the Autons that were holding the Doctor hostage into the vat with the Consciousness, anti-plastic and all.

The Consciousness started to writhe and scream, as Rose landed safely in the Doctor's arms.

He grinned at her as he looks into the vat "Now we're in trouble!"

Rose just smiled back with her tongue in tooth grin as he lead her up to the TARDIS.

When the TARDIS lands again, Mickey rushed out of the TARDIS and fell over looking terrified.

Rose followed him out calmly and rang her mum.

"Rose!" Jackie answered happily "I was just gonna phone. You can get compensation! I said so. I've got this document thing off the police - don't thank me!"

Rose hung up as she laughed in relief - no panic this time, no unnecessary deaths.

Rose ran over to Mickey "Fat lot of good you were!" she joked, Mickey whimpered.

The Doctor was stood in the doorway of the TARDIS as she turned back around "Nestene Consciousness?" He clicked his fingers "Easy!"

Rose grinned and teased "You were useless in there! You'd be dead if it wasn't for me!"

The Doctor smiled "Yes, I would. Thank you. Right then! I'll be off! Unless, uh… I don't know… you could come with me"

Rose looked at him hesitant as Bad Wolf's words echoed in her head _'Make him ask twice'_.

The Doctor noting her uncertainty continued "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe free of charge"

"Don't he's an alien, he's a thing!" Mickey cut in.

The Doctor glared at Mickey for a moment "He's _not _invited!" He turned back to Rose "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh… anywhere"

"Is it always this dangerous?"

The Doctor nodded with a smile "Yeah"

Mickey then threw his arms around her legs, clinging to her like a child.

"Yeah, I cant… I've um… gotta go and find my mum… so…" She trailed off.

"Okay. See you around" The Doctor stared into her eyes for a long moment before he disappears back into the TARDIS.

"Mickey… I don't think we should do this any more" Rose said then "I love you, I always will but more as a brother."

Mickey stared at her sadly "B-but we-we're good aren't we?" He asked stumbling over his words.

Rose's response was cut off by the TARDIS reappearing again.

The Doctor popped his head out of the doors as he said "By the way - did I mention, she also travels in time?" He grinned at Rose before heading back in, leaving the door open for her.

Rose smiled happily before turning to Mickey "Sorry" she kissed his cheek she ran to the TARDIS with a wide grin on her face.

OoOoOo

Please Review and let me know what you think.

And I know I used quite a lot of the dialogue from the episode but I am working on that so please have patience with me, this is my first time writing about Doctor Who.


	3. Chapter 2 - The End of the World

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who reviewed the Prologue and Chapter 1, I really appreciate it - and it makes me update faster.

If there is still some confusion with the tenses please let me know, as I am trying my best to change them all.

OoOoOo

**The End of the World**

Rose was still grinning like a loon as she shut the TARDIS door behind her. The Doctor had still asked her twice, her pinstriped Doctor had told her that he had never asked twice - that once you said no, that was it, no second chances.

The Doctor looked up at Rose and smiled as she gave him her tongue in tooth grin "Right then, Rose Tyler" he smirked at her "you tell me, where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?"

Rose almost squealed in excitement as she replied "Forwards, definitely forwards."

The Doctor pressed a couple of buttons on the console as he asked "How far?"

"As far as you like" Rose challenged.

He chuckled as he pulled a lever and turned a knob, the engines lurched for a few seconds before they stopped "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the New Roman Empire"

Rose smirked as she teased "You think you're so impressive"

The Doctor replied indignantly "I AM so impressive!"

"You wish!"

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go" He smirked at her as he pumped a lever furiously "Hold on!"

When they landed, Rose didn't have to fake the excitement as she asked "Where are we?"

The Doctor merely gestured towards the door, as Rose grinned up at him "What's out there?"

The Doctor gestured towards the door again.

Rose could barely contain her excitement and joy as she opened the TARDIS doors, it never got old stepping out of the TARDIS with a sense of wonder and curiosity.

Even better was that Rose knew she could save lives this time, rather than be stuck inside a room with the sun filter going down. She remembered the Doctor telling her about how Jabe died, she would stop that this time and she would be of more help rather than sitting around waiting to be rescued.

The Doctor followed her out of the TARDIS and opened the shutters of an enormous window with his sonic screwdriver.

Rose stared in awe at the view despite having seen it before, and wandered down the stairs to the window.

The Doctor grinned at the look on her face as he spoke "You lot. You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to be killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future. This is the day… hold on…" he paused as he looked at his watch "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

Rose just stared out of the window as she spoke softly "I'm not afraid of dying."

The Doctor looked at her strangely "What are you afraid of?"

Rose shrugged "Loneliness" she paused "Of being left behind by someone you love, knowing they're out their alive but that you can never reach them - never see or hear them again" Rose's eyes clouded over as she recalled the moment on Bad Wolf Bay, when she thought she would never see her Doctor again.

She shook herself out of her stupor and looked towards the Doctor who could barely conceal the surprise and pain reflected in his eyes.

"Speaking from experience?" He questioned softly.

"Nah, I'm just a 19 year old shop girl - I've had my mum and Mickey all my life" she smiled brightly as she realised that's exactly what she was now, she could change what happened at Canary Warf.

The Doctor was about to say something more when a computer voice rang out "Shuttles 5 and 6 now docking. Guests are reminded that platform 1 forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

Rose and the Doctor started walking down a corridor when Rose asked excitedly "So, when it says 'guests' does that mean aliens?"

The Doctor grinned at Rose "Yep"

"What are they doing here then? Watching the Earth die?"

"Yep!" He said as he opened a door with the sonic screwdriver "It's an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn" 

"And by great and good I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you mean the rich?" Rose said with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah"

"What for?"

"Fun"

Rose smiled a little "Some things never change then. The rich always having a sense of the macabre."

The Doctor chuckled at Rose's observation, she was strange that's for sure. When she accompanied him to the Consciousness she had all but demanded that he give the living plastic a chance and her biggest fear was loneliness, of being left behind.

"But doesn't the sun expanding take hundreds of years?" Rose's question broke the Doctor out of his thoughts.

"Millions" The Doctor corrected as they stood by the window in the Manchester suite "But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there?" He pointed out of the window at tiny glints of light orbiting the Earth "Gravity satellite. That's holding back the sun."

Rose peered out the window "I thought the continents shifted and things but the planet looks the same as ever" Rose looked up at the Doctor who smiled.

"They did, and the trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over!"

"How long has it got?"

The Doctor looked at his watch "About half an hour. And the planet gets roasted."

Rose glanced up at the Doctor who was now staring stoically at the Earth "What about all the people? Where are they?"

"It's empty" The Doctor assured her "They're all gone. All left."

Rose nodded solemnly as she stared at the Earth.

"Who the hell are you?" Came the rude voice of the Steward.

Rose and the Doctor turned and faced the blue alien.

"Oh! That's nice, thanks" The Doctor said sarcastically.

"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second now!"

Rose rolled her eyes at the Stewards rudeness as the Doctor replied "That's me, I'm a guest, look! I've got an invitation!" He flashed his psychic paper at the steward "Look, there you see? It's fine, see? The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one. That all right?"

The Steward looked at a loss for a moment before he said "Well… obviously" causing the Doctor to grin "Apologies, et cetera. If you're onboard, we'd better start. Enjoy."

"Well he was rude" Rose muttered to the Doctor who grinned.

He then showed her the psychic paper "The paper's slightly psychic. Shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time" he explained.

Rose grinned at him as she teased "Go party crashing often, Doctor?"

The Doctor chuckled "I suppose you could say that"

The Steward then started to speak through the microphone at the other end of the suite "We have in attendance, the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Thank you! All staff to their positions." He clapped his hands and a lot of little blue people started scurrying around.

"Hurry now! Thank you, as quick as we can! Come along, come along! And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa."

Jabe, Lute and Coffa walked through the doors as the Steward paused for them.

"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you can keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Balhoon"

Rose leaned closer to the Doctor "Did you bring gifts then Doctor?"

The Doctor frowned "Ah."

"Not so prepared then" She smirked at him.

The Steward continued his introductions "And next, from the Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme… The inventors of the hyposlip travel systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you! … Cal 'Spark Plug' … Mr and Mrs Pakoo … The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light"

Rose turned away from the Steward as she saw Jabe, Lute and Coffa approaching them.

"The Gift of Peace" Jabe smiled as she passed a cutting to the Doctor "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather"

"Thank you!" The Doctor grinned at her, as he passed the gift to Rose "Yes, gifts… erm…"

Rose pulled three hairs from her head as she interrupted "We give you a cutting of myself"

Jabe smiled at Rose "Thank you"

As Jabe, Lute and Coffa moved on Rose turned to see the Face of Boe being wheeled in.

"Quick thinking" The Doctor said happily to Rose "I didn't have anything else to give her except perhaps the air in my lungs"

Rose snorted "Wouldn't that be like snogging her?"

The Doctor looked away as his ears turned red "The Moxx of Balhoon!" he greeted as he casually ignored Rose's observation.

Rose ducked behind the Doctor discretely as the Moxx of Balhoon spoke "My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily saliva"

Rose giggled as he spat into the Doctor's eye and said "Thank you very much, we give you a cutting of myself!" she tried not to laugh at the Doctor's face as she handed over three hairs to the Moxx of Balhoon.

As the Doctor rubbed the spit out of his eye he grumbled "You're only laughing because he missed you."

Rose sniggered "Now Doctor, don't pout".

He scowled at her before smiling as the Adherents of the Repeated Meme approached them "Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you a cutting from my companions peroxide blonde head" he pulled out three hairs, whilst Rose pouted at him.

"A gift of peace in all good faith" One of them said as he handed over a large silver egg, which the Doctor took and passed over to Rose who was still pouting.

He smirked at her "Now Rose, don't pout".

They turned back to the Steward "And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Trees and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth The Last Human."

The Doctor glanced at Rose, as Cassandra is wheeled through.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen" The Steward finished her introduction.

Cassandra spoke then "Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know its shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am."

The Doctor laughed silently and looked at Rose to see her reaction.

Rose was trying as hard as she could to keep the anger and pity out of her expression - anger because of what she had done her on the observation deck before and then on New Earth and pity from having watched her die in her own arms.

The Doctor frowned as he saw the conflicting emotions in her eyes, Cassandra was the only one she had reacted negatively towards.

"Thin and dainty!" Cassandra continued happily "I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me, moisturize me." One of the two men in white who had wheeled her in held up a canister which he sprayed onto Cassandra.

"Truly, I am The Last Human" Cassandra boasted "My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in the soil. I have come to honour them and…" Cassandra sniffed "… say goodbye. Oh, no tears." One of the men wiped her eyes "No tears. I'm sorry. But behold! I bring gifts. From Earth itself - the last remaining ostrich egg."

Cassandra paused as one of the staff came in and displayed the egg to the room "Legend says it had a wingspan of 50 feet and blew fire from its nostrils." She paused "Or was that my third husband?"

Rose rolled her eyes as the Doctor laughed.

"Who knows! Oh don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines!" Cassandra laughed and mumbled to herself for a moment. Behind her, a large jukebox was wheeled into the room. "And here, another rarity. According to the archives, this was called an Ipod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers."

Rose tried not to laugh.

"Play on!" Cassandra said happily as one of the staff pressed a button and the record fell into place. The 'Ipod' starts playing Tainted Love by Soft Cell,

Rose couldn't hide her giggle, especially when the Doctor bopped around happily. She looked around and ran from the room much like she had last time, however this time rather than being overwhelmed, she was laughing hysterically.

As she was laughing she barely noticed the Doctor come into the room behind her.

"What's tickled you then?" The Doctor asked curiously.

Rose laughed shakily as she calmed down "I'm sorry it's just the thought of Tainted Love ever being thought of as 'classical music' not to mention the legend of ostriches - I had to get out of there, I think even in the future laughing hysterically as someone's speaking is rude" she added with a grin.

The Doctor chuckled and sat on the opposite side of the stairs to Rose "What do you think then? Other than the 'classical music' and the ostrich?"

Rose gave him her tongue in tooth grin "They're just so alien!" She said it a lot more excitedly than she had last time "The aliens are so alien! It's brilliant!"

The Doctor grinned widely at her, only his eyes showed his surprise at her excitement and acceptance.

Rose glanced at him "They're all speaking English"

"No - you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain - translates." The Doctor explained, not losing his grin.

"It's inside my brain?"

"Well, in a good way" The Doctor rushed to explain, he didn't want an angry, hysterical woman after him.

"It gets inside my head and you didn't even ask?" Rose said calmly.

The Doctor looked a bit puzzled "I didn't think about it like that"

Rose grinned at the Doctor "Does your ship change my head in any other way?"

The Doctor looked a bit thrown at Rose's sudden mood change "No, no"

Rose smiled a little at that "Where are you from, Doctor?" she asked softly.

"All over the place" He answered evasively.

"What planet?" Rose continued curiously.

The Doctor sat up and looked away from her "It's not as if you'd know it"

"Well maybe not… but it's not everyday you get to ask that question" She grinned at him "What species?"

"I'm just the Doctor"

"Can't I just have a name?"

The Doctor glanced at her for a moment before he got up and walked down the steps away from her.

Rose sighed and followed him down "Alright… as my mate Shareen says… don't argue with the designated driver…"

The Doctor smiled at that as he stared out of the window.

Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket and used the same joke as last time to lighten up the mood as she held it up "Cant exactly call for a taxi… there's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit!"

The Doctor turned back to her "Tell you what…" he took the phone from her "With a little bit of jiggery pokery…" he took the back off the phone.

Rose teased "Is that a technical term, 'jiggery pokery'?"

The Doctor smirked "Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery, what about you?"

Rose laughed "Nah, failed hullabaloo"

The Doctor chuckled as he fit in a new battery and passed the phone back to Rose "There you go."

Rose took it as she smiled at him and rang her mum.

"Hello?" Rose heard her mum's voice on the other end of the line and although she knew it would work she couldn't help but laugh a little in amazement.

"Mum?"

"Oh, what is it? What's wrong? What have I done now? Oh, this red top's falling to bits! You should get your money back. Go on! There must be something, you never phone in the middle of the day!"

Rose let out another laugh as her mum spoke.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing! You alright, though?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday. All day. You got a hangover? Oh, I tell you what, put a quid in that lottery syndicate, I'll pay you back later"

"Yeah, um, I was just calling 'cause I might be late home"

"Is there something wrong?"

"No! I'm fine! Top of the world!" Rose joked as the Doctor to chuckled.

Rose lowered her mobile as she hung up.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill" The Doctor grinned at her.

"That was five billion years ago!" Rose said, staring at the Doctor "I just called through time!"

The Doctor chuckled at the amazed look on her face.

Rose searched through her memories of this conversation and recalled she had never thanked him, she had just gone on about how her mum was dead now. Rose grinned at the Doctor as she threw her arms around him, she felt him stiffen in surprise before he raised his arms around her "Thank you, Doctor" she whispered as she smiled into his neck.

He just nodded, a little dazed at the hug.

The ship shuddered a little as Rose let go of him.

Rose hid her grin as the Doctor said "That's not supposed to happen…" his expression is a mixture of curiosity and excitement, and Rose couldn't quite keep the excitement of adventure from her own expression causing the Doctor to smirk at her.

As they re-entered the Manchester Suite, Rose heard the Moxx of Balhoon talking with the Face of Bo "… this is the Bad Wolf scenario…"

Rose's eyes widened as she heard the first mention of Bad Wolf, she hadn't noticed last time.

The Doctor walked ahead of Rose as he spoke "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that" he started fiddling with a control panel as Jabe approached them "What do you think, Jabe?" Rose had to quell the small amount of jealousy she felt when he spoke to her "Listened to the engines - they pitched up about 30 hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

Jabe shrugged "It's the sound of metal, it doesn't make any sense to me"

"Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know… but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest's suite, I could show you. And…" she paused as she gestured to Rose "… your wife."

The Doctor shook his head "She's not my wife."

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?"

"Nope."

Jabe glanced at Rose "Prostitute?"

Rose glared at Jabe, insulted "Whatever I am, it must be invisible, do you mind? You don't just go making assumptions like that!" The Doctor raised his eyebrows "Tell you what, you two go and pollinate, I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." She started to make her way over to Cassandra.

The Doctor chuckled "Don't start a fight"

"Now why would I do that?"

"Don't make me explain" He said rolling his eyes, before offering his arm to Jabe "I'm all yours"

Rose grinned as she shouted to the Doctor "And I want you home by midnight!"

The Doctor grinned back at her.

"Cassandra?" Rose said softly "I'm Rose, Rose Tyler"

"Hmm, yes of course" Cassandra replied absently "Walk with me"

They both headed over to the window as Cassandra spoke "Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy. Down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice" she sighed "I had such fun."

"What happened to everyone else? The Human Race - where did it go?"

"They say Mankind has touched every star in the sky"

"So, your NOT the last human" Rose smirked knowing how much it annoyed Cassandra.

"I am the last PURE human. The others… mingled." She made a noise of disgust "Oh, they call themselves 'New Humans' and 'Proto-humans' and 'Digi-humans' even 'Human-ish' but you know what I call them?" she lowered her voice to a whisper and spat out the word with distaste "Mongrels."

"Right. And you stayed behind" Rose said barely managing to keep her temper under control.

"I kept myself pure" Cassandra shot back.

"How many operations have you had?" Rose asked her pity all but gone now.

"708. Next week, it's 709, I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word?" Cassandra glanced at Rose "You could be a little flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out"

"I'd rather die" Rose spat back.

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt-"

"No, I mean it. I'd rather die. It's better to die than to live like you - a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh well. What do you know" Cassandra replied dismissively.

"I was born on that planet. And so was my mum, and so was my dad and that makes me officially the last human being in this room, 'cause you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. You're eyes are all that you have left of your humanity now Cassandra, because you truly do have some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen but everything else got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking." As she wandered off after her rant, she turned to see Cassandra looking at her with the oddest expression.

Cassandra started speaking again "The planet's end. Come gather! Come gather! Bid farewell to the cradle of civilisation. Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad."

Toxic by Britney Spears was suddenly blasted out of the Jukebox.

Rose rolled her eyes and headed over to the Face of Bo before she collapsed in a fit of giggles about Cassandra getting her own history so wrong.

"Hello, Rose Tyler" The Face of Bo spoke into her mind "You look as beautiful as ever".

Rose's eyes widened "Have we met before?"

"In a previous timeline my dear" He chuckled.

"How did you-?"

The Face of Bo chuckled again "I suppose I do look different to when I first met you… but you told me about your 'mission' to save both you and the Doctor from a lifetime of loneliness"

"I meet you?" Rose was confused, as far as she was aware she had only met the Face of Bo twice in her last timeline, the second time she was possessed by Cassandra.

"Dancing to Glenn Miller, Moonlight Serenade" The Face of Bo recollected as Rose gasped.

"Jack?" She gaped at him "How did you-"

"I cant tell you that Rosie, but I am so very glad I met you on that barrage balloon."

Rose felt a tear fall down her cheek as she placed a hand on the glass jar the Face of Bo was in and spoke softly "Do I change Canary Warf?"

"I cant tell you that Rosie, sorry"

Rose nodded "Do we keep in touch? Or the Doctor at least? Tell me you're not on your own?"

Jack chuckled warmly "If you do change Canary Warf, I have no doubt we'll stay the best of friends"

Rose smiled sadly "Well at least we'll always have our dance in the air raid"

The Face of Bo laughed "A most treasured memory, I assure you"

Rose removed her hand from the glass as she saw the Doctor re-entering the room, "Hold on - I remember telling you about this in Cardiff! Does this mean you know what happens?"

"Of course - but I cant mess with the timeline, much like you though you do have more leeway."

Rose giggled happily "Oh, Jack - I love you, you know? Besides the Doctor, you were my best friend. You still are I suppose" She leaned forward and kissed the glass softly when she saw the Doctor walking towards her "We'll speak later?"

"Of course Rosie."

Rose winked at him as she made her way over to the Doctor who was staring at her surprised.

"You're crying" He said softly.

Rose grinned at him as she wiped away her tears "Yeah, sorry. I was talking to the Face of Boe"

"Yeah, I saw… you kissed him" The Doctor said hesitantly with a strange look on his face.

Rose giggled "It was an enigmatic conversation"

The Doctor chuckled at that before Jabe interrupted them.

Looking at her computer she spoke loudly "The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of platform one"

Cassandra gasped dramatically "How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturize me."

The Doctor took the destabilized spider out of Jabe's hand as the Moxx of Balhoon shouted "Summon the Steward!"

Jabe shook her head sadly "I'm afraid the Steward is dead"

Rose gasped as she realised that whilst she was arguing with Cassandra and catching up with Jack, someone had died and she had forgotten him.

"You cant save everyone Rosie, no matter how hard you try" She heard Jack's voice echo in her mind, whilst the Doctor looked at her concerned.

"Who killed him?" The Moxx of Balhoon demanded.

Cassandra then spoke up "This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Bo! He invited us!" Jack shook his large head as Cassandra continued "Talk to the face! Talk to the face!"

Rose glared at Cassandra as she muttered "Talk to the skin! Talk to the skin!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, his amusement clear in his eyes "Easy way of finding out. Someone brought a little pet on board" he showed them all the spider "Let's send him back to Master."

He placed the spider down on the floor. They all watched as the spider scuttled along to Cassandra, looking up at her before it moved on to the feet of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.

Cassandra gasped again "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme! J'accuse!"

The Doctor grinned "That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it…" he paused as one of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme tried to strike him, he caught it's arm and ripped it off "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. An idea."

He ripped a wire out of the arm and all of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme crumpled into a bundle of black cloaks which caused everyone to gasp as Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo!" The Doctor nudged the spider with his foot "Go home!"

The spider then ambled back over to Cassandra who hissed at the Doctor "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed!" which caused the Doctor to raise his eyebrows.

Rose heard Jack snigger in her mind as she sent him a mental message "I don't know about you but I enjoyed kissing him on the game station!"

"I know what you mean Rosie, and genius always suited the Doctor!"

They were both brought back to the present when Cassandra shouted "At arms!" which caused her two bodyguards to raise their canisters at the Doctor.

Rose had to hold back a laugh as the Doctor said mockingly "What are you going to do, moisturize me?"

Cassandra glared at him "With acid. Oh, too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face"

The Doctor scoffed "Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes "I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

Rose, even after all this time, still couldn't believe how callous Cassandra was - a man had already died. Jack gave her a mental hug, as did the TARDIS as they felt her upset.

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money" The Doctor stared at her in disgust.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am The Last Human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours."

The Moxx of Balhoon cut in "Arrest her!"

"Oh, shut it, pixie. I've still got my final option, and here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in you're rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? 'Burn, baby, burn." Cassandra said coldly.

"Then you'll burn with us" Jabe glowered at 'The Last Human'.

Cassandra smiled smugly "Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but… I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders - activate."

A series of explosions happened around the ship.

"Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband" She giggled softly "Oh, shame on me. Buh-bye, darlings! Buh-bye, my darlings…"

Cassandra and her bodyguards teleported out as the computer said "Heat levels rising"

The Moxx of Balhoon shouted "Reset the computer!"

"Only the Steward would know how" Jabe replied helplessly.

The Doctor shook his head "No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Rose, Jabe, come on."

Rose and Jabe headed out of the room ahead of the Doctor as he turned around and called out "You lot - just chill!"

Rose followed Jabe and the Doctor back down the maintenance corridor until they reached the ventilation chamber.

"Oh." The Doctor exclaimed in annoyance "And guess where the switch is"

Jabe and Rose looked across to where the switch was on the other side of the enormous fans.

Rose looked at the lever to the side and grabbed it pulling it down, causing the fans to slow down.

The Doctor and Jabe looked at her "Jabe you should get out of here, the heats going to vent through here" Rose said softly.

Jabe looked to the Doctor who nodded "Get everyone away from the windows! They're going to crack!"

"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord!" Jabe shot back before she left the room, causing the Doctor to grin at her.

The Doctor ran to the fans and managed to dodge the first fan before he looked anxiously up at the next.

Rose gripped the lever tighter as her hands began to burn from the heat, sweat pouring off of her.

The Doctor dodged under the second fan.

Rose gasped out in pain as the burning got worse, which caused the Doctor to look back.

"Rose!" He shouted back to her, concern lacing his voice.

Rose glanced at him "I'm alright - just hurry up!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes "I'd like to see you try this!"

Rose laughed "Maybe next time, Doctor!"

He dodged the third fan quickly and rushed to the switch, pulling it down "Raise shields!"

Rose let out a breath of relief as she let go of the lever and glanced down at her hands which were covered in burns.

The Doctor walked back through the fans which had slowed down considerably, when he was clear of the fans Rose ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.

The Doctor laughed in relief as he put his own arms around her.

"We did it!" Rose said happily as she let go of him.

The Doctor grinned widely at her before catching sight of her burned hands "Rose, you said you were okay"

She smiled softly "I am, Doctor - it's just a little burn"

He rolled his eyes "I'll take care of them when we get back to the TARDIS"

When they reached the observation deck, Jabe rushed over to them "Are you both alright?"

Rose smiled at her "Yeah, we're fine. How about everyone up here? Any casualties?"

Jabe smiled happily "No, you raised the shields just in time"

The Doctor ignored them as he looked around the room "You know what Rose? I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one - teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two - this feed must be hidden nearby."

"What about the ostrich egg?" Rose asked nodding over to where the egg was perched.

The Doctor grinned at her as he strode over to the egg and broke it open, the teleportation feed falling to the ground.

He picked it up "Idea number three - if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed"

The Doctor twisted the feed causing Cassandra to appear before them, apparently in the middle of gloating "Ah, you should have seen their little alien faces." She stopped then as she appeared to notice her new surroundings "Oh."

"The Last Human" The Doctor said calmly.

Flustered Cassandra attempted to stammer out an excuse "So. You passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the er… the human club."

Rose cut in then "Someone died Cassandra!" Rage shone in her hazel eyes as she continued "You murdered the Steward, maybe your spiders killed some of the staff and more would have followed!"

"That depends on your definition of people-"

Rose cut her off "I mean walking, talking, living people Cassandra!"

"Yes, well, that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then Rose Tyler! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter…"

"And creak?" Rose spat viciously.

"And what?"

"She said creak!" The Doctor said gleefully "You're creaking!"

Rose walked to the Doctor's side as they watched Cassandra dry out.

"What? Ah! Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturize me! Moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

The Doctor smirked "You raised the temperature"

Cassandra, terrified, pleaded "Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, Doctor! Rose!"

Rose couldn't stop herself as she whispered "Help her."

The Doctor looked at her and saw nothing but pity in her eyes, her anger diminished at the sight of Cassandra about to explode.

"Everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm… too… young!" Cassandra gasped out as she shrivelled up before exploding.

Rose sneaked a look at the Doctor and like last time he looked completely cold and not at all fazed. She watched him walk away.

Rose wandered over to the window as the rest of the guests left. She stood there for some time until the Doctor returned.

"The end of the Earth. It's gone. And nobody saw it go… don't get me wrong, I'm happy all the guests are alive and most of the staff…" She trailed off as the Doctor looked down at her "But… all those years… all that history and no one was even looking. It's just…"

The Doctor held out his hand to her "Come with me"

He lead her back into the TARDIS, taking her down to the medical bay where he carefully tended to her hands.

"You alright?" He asked softly.

Rose sniffed slightly and smiled weakly "Yeah… I'm glad most of us survived… I still feel bad about the steward though - I cant believe anyone could be so callous as to commit murder just to get money."

The Doctor smiled at Rose "I know."

OoOoOo

Rose followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS and into Piccadilly Circus. She watched the crowd as the Doctor stood beside her.

"You think it'll all last forever. People, and cars and concrete. But it wont. One day, it's all gone. Even the sky" They both look up and after a moment the Doctor added "My planet's gone"

Rose looked at him sadly.

"It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust. Before it's time."

Rose took his hand in hers "What happened?"

The Doctor looked down at her and Rose was noticed he was close to tears "There was a war. And we lost."

"A war with who?" The Doctor didn't answer, seemingly lost in thought.

"What about your people? What was it Jabe said… Time Lords?"

"I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own because there's no one else"

Rose squeezed his hand "There's me…" she smiled at him.

He looked at her surprised "You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

"No" Rose stated confidently "I want…" she trailed off _I want forever _"Can you smell chips?"

The Doctor laughed "Yeah. Yeah!"

Rose smiled up at him "I want chips."

The Doctor grinned at her "Me too."

"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is! You can pay"

The Doctor grinned wider "No money"

Rose teased him "What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me" he smiled at her, delighted "We've only got five billion years before the shops close…" she joked as they walked down the street together laughing, hand in hand as Rose nuzzled her head against his shoulder.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think.

Rose remembers everything she did as Bad Wolf ever since Bad Wolf visited her.

I hope you liked the relationship between the Face of Boe/Jack and Rose.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Unquiet Dead

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who reviewed Chapter Two, I really appreciate it.

I am also really sorry - I think I keep changing the tense I'm writing in half way through and then I change back again. I'm trying to correct it in my writing and if it does bother you, I do apologise and am working on it.

I am trying to update every day or at least every few days so you wont have to wait long for a new chapter.

OoOoOo

**The Unquiet Dead **

The TARDIS shook as the Doctor shouted out commands "Hold that one down!" he pointed to something.

Rose rolled her eyes, exasperated "I'm HOLDING this one down!"

"Well, hold them BOTH down!" He rose his eyebrows as Rose then threw her leg up over the console to hold the other button down.

"It's not going to work!"

"Oi!" The Doctor grinned at her "I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future - let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"

Rose muttered "About nine years out of your driving range", she glanced up at the Doctor "What happened in 1860?"

The Doctor shrugged happily "I don't know, let's find out. Hold on, here we go!"

As the TARDIS landed, both the Doctor and Rose fell on the floor, Rose broke the silence first by laughing, the Doctor chuckled as he helped her to her feet.

"Blimey!" Rose said.

"You're telling me! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I think so! Nothing broken…" she smirked as she teased "Though I think you need some driving lessons!"

The Doctor looked offended for a moment before he laughed and looked at the screen "I did it! Give the man a medal. Earth - Naples - December 24th, 1860"

Rose looked at him excitedly "It's Christmas!"

The Doctor gestured to the door then "All yours."

Rose grinned "Christmas. 1860. Happens once. Just once, and its gone. It's finished. It'll never happen again. Except for you" she stared at the Doctor intently as she repeated what she said last time "You can go back and see days that are dead and gone and a hundred thousand sunsets ago… no wonder you never stay still…"

The Doctor smiled "Not a bad life."

Rose gave him her tongue in teeth grin "Better with two."

They stood grinning at each other for a few moments before Rose slapped his bum and dashed to the door "Come on then!"

"Oi, oi, oi! Where do you think you're going?!"

"1860!"

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella!"

Rose arched an eyebrow "Really? Could be fun"

The Doctor snorted "There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left. Hurry up!"

Rose rushed off quickly as the Doctor grinned after her. She smiled as she found the same dress as last time and put it on, she had forgotten how beautiful it was.

She wandered back into the console room and watched the Doctor do unnecessary repair work as he waited. He turned his sonic screwdriver off as he noticed her and looked at her in surprise.

"Blimey!" He stared at her shocked.

Rose smiled as she joked "Don't laugh!"

Before he could stop himself he said "You look beautiful!"

Rose blushed lightly as she beamed at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked away awkwardly "…Considering."

Rose arched an eyebrow still grinning "Considering what? That I'm human?" she asked teasingly.

His ears went red as he turned away from her.

"I see you've changed too" She said, glancing at his jumper in amusement.

He jumped out from beneath the controls and grinned at her "Come on, then!"

Rose smirked "You, stay there! This is mine!"

The Doctor stared after her as she hurried towards the door and opened it.

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and jumped a little on the snow as the Doctor followed her out.

"Ready for this?" He asked softly, offering her his arm which she took "Here we go. History!"

They walked down the street together, the Doctor with his usual grin and Rose looking around in wonder - she still loved stepping out into the past, future or different planets no matter if she had seen them before.

The Doctor wandered off to buy a newspaper as Rose watched him with a smile.

The Doctor was frowning as he came back over to Rose "I got the flight a bit wrong."

Rose grinned at him "I don't care."

"It's not 1860, it's 1869."

"I don't care!"

"And it's not Naples."

"I don't care."

The Doctor looked at the newspaper in distaste "It's Cardiff."

Rose rolled her eyes "Great things will happen in Cardiff one day, Doctor"

The Doctor rose his eyebrows "You're cute when you're delusional"

Rose sniggered "Thanks Doctor, appreciate it"

He chuckled "Your welcome, Rose" he grinned then when they heard screaming "Now, that's more like it!" He tossed the newspaper away and ran in the direction of the screaming, Rose hiked up her dress and followed after him.

When they entered the theatre, they saw the gas creatures zooming around, and Rose laughed when she heard the Doctor exclaim "Fantastic!" as he ducked out of the way of a gas creature.

Rose stared at the Gelth as they left the old woman's mouth, and watched as the dead woman slumped back.

The Doctor approached Charles' Dickens as Rose was lost in thought about Gwyneth and the Gelth "Did you see where it came from?"

Dickens glared at the Doctor "Ah. The wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!" the Doctor looked slightly taken aback by Dickens.

Rose chuckled before she shouted "Oi! Leave her alone!" towards where Mr Sneed and Gwyneth were making off with the dead woman's body. She turned towards the Doctor "I'll go after 'em, Doctor!"

"Be careful!" The Doctor shouted after her before he turned back to Dickens.

"Gwyneth!" Rose exclaimed looking at the young servant girl, "Listen, I know what's going on - me and the Doctor we can help -" she was cut off by Sneed covering her mouth and nose with a tissue, and struggled against him before she went limp.

She just heard the Doctor shout her name before she blacked out.

OoOoOo

Rose woke up on the same table as last time "Oh you're kidding me!" she muttered as she heard groaning behind her.

She turned to see Mr Redpath staggering towards her, she jumped up off the table and ran to the door.

"Doctor! Doctor!" She screamed banging on the door, "Open the door!" She turned her head and saw Mrs Redpath rise from her coffin "Doctor! Let me out! Doctor!" She continued to bang on the door and pulled the door handle.

A hand is clamped over her mouth muffling her scream. Relief shone in her eyes when the Doctor kicked in the door "I think this is MY dance!" he said pulling Rose from the corpse's grasp.

"It's a prank? It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence" Dickens said shocked.

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." He grinned down at Rose, who was panting "Hi!"

"Hello!" She replied happily "Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens!"

"Oh, hi Charlie!" Rose smiled at Dickens who looked flustered for a moment.

The Doctor frowned for a moment before turning to the corpses "My names the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

Mr Redpath spoke "We're failing. Open the rift, we're dying. Trapped in this form - cannot sustain - help us." Both Mr Redpath and his grandmother raised their heads to the ceiling as the Gelth left them and they fell motionless to the floor.

Rose, the Doctor and Charles followed Gwyneth and Mr Sneed into the parlour where Gwyneth poured them all tea.

Rose glared at Sneed as she had a go at him, the Doctor just watched her clearly amused "First of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man!" The Doctor sniggered as she paused, causing her to arch an eyebrow at him.

Sneed took advantage of the pause "I wont be spoken to like this!"

Rose glared murderously at him, she was even angrier than last time because she knew that he was aware of the dead walking "Yeah, you will!" He sat back meekly in his chair as she continued "Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough - you swan off! And leave me to die! So come on! Tell us!"

He swallowed nervously "It's not my fault, it's this house!"

"This house didn't leave me to die!" She shot back at him.

"W-well, it always had a reputation." He stuttered "Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back. And then the stiffs-" he stops as he notes Dickens's offended look "… the er, dear departed started getting restless." he amended quickly.

"Tommyrot" Dickens scoffed.

"You witnessed it! Cant keep the beggars down, sir! They walk. And it's the queerest thing that they hang on to scraps…"

Gwyneth gave the Doctor his tea "Two sugars, sir, just how you like it." The Doctor looked at her retreating back curiously as Sneed continued.

"One old fella who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service! Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir! Just as she planned."

"Morbid fancy."

Rose cut in then "Charlie, it wasn't a trick or an illusion" he looked at her curiously "They tried to kill me - if it was a trick I don't think it would have gone so far."

Dickens looked confused by Rose's argument and not so sure of his own opinion now.

The Doctor looked at Rose approvingly before he turned to Sneed "What about the gas?"

"That's new, sir, never seen anything like that."

The Doctor nodded "Means its getting stronger, the rifts getting wider and something's sneaking through"

Rose tilted her head "What's the rift?"

"A weak point in time and space. The connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."

"That's how I got the house so cheap" Sneed put in "Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark. Queer songs in the air and this feeling like a… shadow. Passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine."

OoOoOo

Gwyneth was lighting a gas lamp as Rose wandered into the kitchen and began washing up.

Gwyneth gasped "Please, Miss! You shouldn't be helping! It's not right!"

Rose smiled softly "Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death." she handed Gwyneth the cloth to dry up "So, did you go to school?"

Gwyneth looked at Rose "Of course I did. What do you think I am? An urchin? I went every Sunday. Nice and proper." she looked uncertain for a moment "To be honest, I hated every second."

"Me too!" Rose laughed with Gwyneth.

Gwyneth leaned in a little and whispered "Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own!"

Rose grinned "I did plenty of that. I used to go down the shops with my mate Shareen. And we used to go look at boys!"

Gwyneth looked scandalised "Well, I don't know much about that, miss" she turns back to the washing up.

Rose smiled "Come on, times haven't changed that much! I bet you've done the same."

"I don't think so, miss."

"Gwyneth! You can tell me! Bet you've got your eye on someone."

"I suppose. There is one lad…" Rose grinned at the confession "The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him!"

Rose laughed "Oh, I like a nice smile. Good smile, nice bum."

Gwyneth looked shocked "Well, I have never heard the like!"

Rose giggled and Gwyneth laughed a little too.

"Ask him out! Give him a cup of tea or something, that's a start." Rose smiled, a little sadly as she remembered herself saying this last time and Gwyneth dying soon after.

Gwyneth chuckled "I swear, it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding but you talk like some sort of wild thing!"

Rose shrugged "Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mr Sneed."

Gwyneth glanced at Rose "Ah, now that's not fair. He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to take me in. Because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve."

Rose looked at Gwyneth sadly "I'm sorry. I lost my dad"

Gwyneth smiled "Thank you, miss. But I'll be with them again, one day. Sitting with them in paradise. I should be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, miss."

"Maybe" Rose nodded. "My father died a few years back"

"You've been thinking about him lately, more than ever"

Rose smiled "How do you know all this?"

"Mr Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you miss."

"No, no servants where I'm from"

"And you've come such a long way… you're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that." she stared at Rose intently "All those people rushing about. Half naked, for shame. And the noise… and the metal boxes racing past… and the birds in the sky… they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People flying. And you - you've flown so far, further than anyone! From a different universe… the things you've seen… the loneliness… the metal monsters… the big bad wolf-" she staggered backwards in fear "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, miss!"

Rose stepped forwards and wrapped an arm around Gwyneth "S'alright…"

"I cant help it - ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it!"

"But it's getting stronger. More powerful, is that right?" The Doctor spoke from the doorway behind them, making both the girls jump.

"All the time, sir. Every night. Voices in my head."

The Doctor smiled "You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key."

Rose glared at the Doctor as he called her 'the key', she could see that he was already thinking of using her to help the Gelth - not even seeing the young girl, just part of something that could ease his guilt.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table wrappers, all sorts."

"Well that should help. You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, sir?"

Rose sighed as she looked pointedly at the Doctor "We are NOT having a séance"

The Doctor grinned at her, ignoring her comment for the most part "We're going to have a séance"

OoOoOo

They all sat around the table in Sneed's parlour as Gwyneth spoke "This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists. Down in Mid Town. Come. We must all join hands."

Dickens scoffed "I cant take part in this." he got up to leave.

"Humbug?" The Doctor responded "Come on, open mind"

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I try to unmask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing."

Rose glared at him "Leave her alone"

The Doctor nodded "I wouldn't antagonize her, besides, I love a happy medium." he added with a laugh.

Rose snorted "I cant believe you just said that"

The Doctor just grinned at Rose before he turned to Dickens "Come on, we might need you." Dickens sat back down "Good man. Now, Gwyneth. Reach out."

"Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits?" Dickens rolled his eyes as Gwyneth continued "Come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." She raised her eyes to the ceiling and a murmuring filled the room.

"Can you hear that?" Rose questioned softly.

Dickens scoffed "Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly."

Rose rolled her eyes "Look at her"

"I feel them. I feel them!" Gwyneth said as the Gelth started filling the room.

"What're they saying?" Rose looked at the Doctor.

"They cant get through the rift. Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now look deep. Allow them through."

"I cant!"

"Yes you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you Gwyneth. Make the link"

Gwyneth looked pained for a moment before she lowered her head and opened her eyes "Yes." Three gaseous figures appeared behind her. Dickens's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Great God" Sneed gasped "Spirits from the other side!"

"The other side of the universe." The Doctor corrected.

One of the figures started speaking then in an angelic, childlike voice with Gwyneth voice echoing it's words "Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time, help us."

"What do you want us to do?" The Doctor asked.

"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge"

"What for?"

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction."

"Why, what happened?"

"Once we had a physical form like you. But then the war came."

"War? What war?" Dickens interjected confused.

"The Time War"

Rose glanced at the Doctor and saw the guilt and pain in his eyes as he looked back at her. And right there her hatred for the Gelth grew as she watched them manipulate her Doctor.

"The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses."

"We want to stand tall. To feel the sunlight. To live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste, give them to us!"

"Doctor we cant!" Rose cut in.

"Why not?" He looked back at her, confused at her attitude - this was the girl who wanted him to save Cassandra, to give the Nestene Consciousness a chance - why was she so against the Gelth surviving "Because it's not decent, not polite?"

Rose stared at him "No, because something doesn't feel right Doctor!"

He raised his eyebrows at her as the Gelth continued "Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!"

They disappeared and Gwyneth collapsed. Rose rushed over to the girls side immediately "Gwyneth!"

Charles Dickens seemed to be sat there in shock as he muttered "All true."

"Gwyneth are you okay?" Rose asked the servant.

"It's all true" Dickens repeated.

The Doctor just stared at Rose in silence.

OoOoOo

Rose mopped Gwyneth's head as she lay asleep on a couch.

"Why are you so against the Gelth?" The Doctor finally asked.

"I don't trust them" Rose glanced at him "If they just want the bodies of the dead, why'd they try and kill me?"

Gwyneth stirred as they argued and Rose turned to her "It's alright. You just sleep."

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"

The Doctor stepped in "They do need you, Gwyneth. You're they're only chance of survival."

Rose turned to him angrily "And what of her surviving?! Can you honestly say that the Gelth wont kill her, or the rest of us when the 'bridge' is made?"

The Doctor stared at her "They've been speaking to her all her life, why would they hurt her?"

Rose arched an eyebrow "Why would they hurt her before they could use her?"

The Doctor sighed "The last of the Gelth -"

Rose cut him off "They're not having her!"

Gwyneth put a hand on Rose's arm "Don't I get a say, miss?"

Both Rose and the Doctor turned to her "Look, Gwyneth you don't understand."

Gwyneth smiled calmly "I understand. It's very clear inside your head"

Rose's eyes widened "Then you know why you cant do it!"

The Doctor stared at Gwyneth and Rose in confusion - what in Rose's head could make Gwyneth want to damn an entire species?

"But I have to help my angels" Gwyneth hugged Rose and whispered in her ear "the Thief must learn he can be wrong."

Rose felt her heart weigh heavy in her chest as Gwyneth spoke "Is there no way?", Gwyneth shook her head, no. She nodded sadly and felt the TARDIS give her a mental hug and send waves of comfort and shared sorrow for what was to come.

Gwyneth smiled "My angels are waiting for me… Doctor, what do I have to do?"

The Doctor emphasised his point "You don't HAVE to do anything"

"They've been singing to me since I was a child. Sent by my mum on a holy mission. So tell me."

The Doctor smiled at her "We need to find the rift." he approached Sneed and Dickens "This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr Sneed. What's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?"

"That would be the Morgue"

Rose asked dryly "No chance you were gonna say 'gazebo', was there?"

Everyone just stared at her for a moment.

OoOoOo

"Talk about Bleak House" The Doctor said entering the Morgue.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, the Doctor looked at her "I don't remember any corpses walking around in 1869... Does that mean time can be rewritten?"

The Doctor nodded "Time's in flux. Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing."

He walked away from her then.

"Doctor - I think the room is getting colder" Dickens pointed out.

"Here they come" Rose said as Gelth flooded into the room.

"You have come to help! Praise the Doctor! Praise him!"

Rose shouted out "Promise you wont hurt her!"

But the Gelth, like last time ignored her "Hurry! Please. So little time. Pity the Gelth."

The Doctor spoke up "I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?"

Gwyneth looked towards the Gelth "My angels. I can help them live."

"Okay, where's the weak point?"

"Here beneath the arch" The Gelth said joyfully as Gwyneth positioned herself beneath the arch.

Rose remembered last time _I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch_. She rushed over to Gwyneth and kissed her cheek whilst feeling for her pulse, there wasn't one. "I'm so sorry, Gwyneth" Rose whispered.

Gwyneth placed her hands on Rose's cheeks "You cant save everyone, child"

Rose staggered backwards as the Gelth said "Establish the bridge, reach out of the void, let us through!"

"Yes. I can see you! I can see you! Come!"

"Bridgehead establishing"

"Come! Come to me! Come to this world, poor lost souls!"

"It is begun! The bridge is made!" The Gelth shouted as more poured from Gwyneth's mouth "She has given herself to the Gelth!"

Dickens looked a bit queasy as he pointed out "There's rather a lot of them, eh?"

"The bridge is open. We descend" The Gelth figure suddenly became demonic as the gas turned from an angelic blue to a fiery red "The Gelth will come through in force."

Dickens' eyes widened "You said that you were _few_ in number!"

The Gelth sneered "A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses"

The bodies in the Morgue began to rise.

"Gwyneth… stop this! Listen to your master! This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, leave these things alone. I beg of you-" Sneed pleaded with Gwyneth.

Rose lunged forward as she cried out "Mr. Sneed! Get back!" But the Doctor grabbed her waist and pulled her back, as one of the corpses grabbed Sneed from behind and broke his neck allowing another Gelth to inhabit his body.

As Mr Sneed looked up at them with dead eyes the Doctor said shakily "I think it's gone a little bit wrong."

"Oh, you think!" Rose snapped at him.

Sneed stood "I have joined the legions of the Gelth. Come. March with us."

"No!" Dickens cried out.

The corpses advanced on the Doctor and Rose as they spoke "We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead."

The Doctor and Rose are backed up against a dungeon door as the Doctor shouted to Gwyneth "Stop them! Send them back! Now, Gwyneth!"

"Three more bodies. Make them vessels for the Gelth"

"I- I cant! I'm sorry!" Dickens stuttered.

Rose turned and opened the dungeon door, pulling the Doctor in behind her as he locked them in.

"It's too much for me! I'm so-" He jumped and ran from the Morgue as one of the Gelth swooped at him.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth"

The Doctor snarled at them "I trusted you! I pitied you!"

"We don't want your pity!" The Gelth sneered "We want this world and all its flesh"

The corpses rattled on the dungeon door.

"Not while I'm alive!" The Doctor glared at the Gelth.

"Then live no more."

Rose muttered "Because that wasn't obvious!"

The Doctor looked at Rose "I'm sorry, Rose. I should have listened to you, but I didn't and now we might die in the 19th century."

Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand "It's not your fault, you just wanted to help."

"I saw the fall of Troy! World War Five! I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party, now I'm going to die in a dungeon!" He looks even more horrified as he adds "In Cardiff!"

Rose felt around behind her for the gas lamp and pulled it free letting the gas fill the air as she replied "It's not just dying. We'll become one of them"

"We'll go down fighting, yeah?" She asked looking at him.

The Doctor smiled down at her "Yeah"

"Together?"

"Yeah!" He squeezed her hand as he added "I'm so glad I met you."

Rose grinned at him "Me too."

They stood there smiling at each other when Dickens came rushing back into the room "Doctor! Turn OFF the flame, turn UP the gas! Now fill the room, all of it, now!"

"What're you doing?"

"Turn it all on! Gas the place!" he said as he turned another gas lamp on. Rose started coughing as he spoke.

"Brilliant. Gas!" he turned to Rose who was still coughing "How long have you been breathing it in?"

"A bit" She gestured to the gas behind them.

The Doctor grinned at her as all the corpses faced Dickens instead.

"I hope… oh, Lord. I hope that this theory will be validated soon" He said shakily "If not immediately."

The Doctor broke another gas canister "Plenty more!"

Suddenly all the creatures were sucked from the bodies with a scream.

"It's working!" Dickens exclaimed as the Doctor and Rose left the dungeon.

"Gwyneth! Send them back! They lied, they're not angels." The Doctor said rushing towards the servant girl.

Gwyneth just said simply "Liars."

"Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"

Rose collapsed as the gas became too much "Charles! Get her out of here!"

OoOoOo

The Doctor's face dropped as he didn't feel a pulse on Gwyneth, he remembered Rose's words '_What about her surviving?_' she'd been the only one to see through the Gelth - if only he'd listened to her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he pressed a kiss to Gwyneth's forehead "Thank you." He ran from the Morgue and dived out of the doorway into the street as the house went up in flame.

His hearts seemed to stop for a moment as he saw Rose lying lifeless on the ground, her lips blue.

He fell to his knees beside her and almost cried with relief when he feels her pulse.

"Gwyneth?" She croaked out moments later, when she woke up.

The Doctor helped her to her feet as he spoke "I'm sorry. She closed the rift"

"At such a cost." Dickens looked back towards the house "The poor child."

"I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes" he paused "I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch"

Rose felt tears roll down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around the Doctor, burying her face in his leather clad shoulder.

The Doctor seemed surprised she was even willing to touch him after he had ignored every warning she had given that the Gelth weren't to be trusted, and slowly wrapped his own arms around her.

"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know" Rose spoke as she pulled away from the hug, she looked up at the Doctor her eyes shining with tears "We cant forget her, Doctor"

"Oh, Rose, she'll never be forgotten" He replied softly.

All three of them turned to the burning house and watched it for a few more moments before heading back towards the TARDIS.

"Right then, Charlie-boy, I've just got to go into my um… shed. Wont be long!" The Doctor fitted the key into the lock.

"What're you going to do now?" Rose asked Charles.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London. Quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital!" He replied happily.

The Doctor smiled "You've cheered up!"

Charles nodded enthusiastically "Exceedingly! This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world and now I know I've just started! All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor! I'm inspired. I must write about them!"

Rose grinned at him.

"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word! Tell the truth!"

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you" The Doctor shook Charles' hand "Fantastic" before he turned back to the TARDIS door.

"Bye, then. And, thanks." Rose smiled before she kissed him on the cheek.

Dickens looked taken aback as he said, quite flustered "Oh, my dear - how modern. Thank you, but, I don't understand - in what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?"

The Doctor smiled "You'll see. In the shed" He opened the door of the TARDIS.

"Oh, my soul. Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's still one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this - who are you?"

The Doctor paused "Just a friend. Passing through"

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose of you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor - do they last?"

Rose grinned at the question and answered "They do, Charlie"

"For how long?"

"Forever!" The Doctor grinned.

Dickens tried to look both pleased and modest at that answer.

"Right. Shed. Come on, Rose…"

They both turned to the door and Dickens spoke "In - in the box? Both of you?"

The Doctor grinned at Charles "Down boy. See ya!"

They both entered the TARDIS and Rose shut the door behind her.

"He doesn't get to tell his story does he?"

"Sorry. In a weeks time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies. He'll never get to tell his story."

"He was so nice!" Rose said sadly.

"But in your time, he was already dead! We've brought him back to life! He's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie-boy. Let's give him one last surprise."

Rose grinned at the Doctor as they watched Dickens' face when the TARDIS disappeared before his eyes.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 4 - Aliens in London

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who reviewed Chapter Three, I really appreciate it.

I am trying to update every day or at least every few days so you wont have to wait long for a new chapter.

OoOoOo

**Aliens in London**

"So, where next?" The Doctor asked as he leaned against the console.

Rose smiled softly "I was thinking I could go visit my mum before we go swanning off again."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "Oh?"

"I mean, we almost died with the Gelth - I think that was more terrifying than Cassandra and her pet spiders" Rose said with a grimace "I just - I need to see her"

The Doctor nodded, grinning at her.

As the TARDIS landed both Rose and the Doctor stepped out, Rose wandered ahead a little as the Doctor leant against his beloved spaceship.

She turned to face him "How long have I been gone?"

The Doctor shrugged "About 12 hours."

"Are you sure, Doctor?" Rose asked arching an eyebrow.

"Of course, I'm sure!"

"Well, last time we landed you were sure it was Naples in 1860 - you were 9 years out and didn't even land in Naples!" She teased with her tongue in tooth grin.

The Doctor scowled at her "Don't you need to visit your mum?"

She laughed "Right you are, Doctor! I won't be long"

He looked at her curiously "What're you gonna tell her?"

"I don't know! I've been to the year 5 billion… and only been gone, what, 12 hours?"

The Doctor snorted as Rose laughed "Nah, I'll just tell her I've spent the night at Shareens. See you later!" She walked off but stopped and turned around again as she pointed at him "And you - stay!" she winked at him.

He looked both annoyed and amused at her wording as he settled himself against the TARDIS to wait.

Rose ran off in the direction of her mum's flat.

"Mum?" She shouted as she opened the door to the flat "Are you in?"

Jackie walked out of the kitchen holding a cup of tea, dropping it as she gaped at Rose looking as though she's seen a ghost.

"It's you!" She said.

"Of course it's me!" Rose's eyes widened as she realised that after Platform One she hadn't really bothered to phone her mum, and she hadn't really mentioned the travelling thing again either.

"Oh, my God. It's you. Oh, my God!" Jackie said, her voice shook as she threw her arms around Rose.

Rose looked over her mother's shoulder and saw the missing posters in the same place they were last time.

The Doctor came crashing in then and looked sheepishly at Rose "It's not 12 hours, it's er… 12 months. You've been gone a whole year." He laughed apologetically while Rose arched an eyebrow and Jackie looked at him stunned.

"Sorry." He said softly as Jackie looked back at Rose, stroking her hair.

OoOoOo

Rose sat in an armchair with the Doctor stood next to her as a policeman sat in the other armchair whilst her mum shouted furiously at them.

"The hours I've sat here. Days and weeks and months all on my own. I thought you were dead. And where were you? Travelling. What the hell does that mean? Travelling? That's no sort of answer!" Jackie looked at the policeman "You ask her. She wont tell me! That's all she says. Travelling."

"That's what I was doing!" Rose argued back.

Jackie glared at her daughter "When your passport's still in the drawer? It's just one lie after another!"

"We were travelling Britain… even went to Cardiff" Rose added, the Doctor's lips twitched upwards.

"They have phones in Cardiff!"

Rose winced "I meant to phone. I really did, I just… I forgot" she finished lamely.

"What, for a year? You forgot for a year? And I am left sitting here? I just don't believe you. Why wont you tell me where you've been?"

The Doctor interrupted "Actually, it's my fault. I sort of er, employed Rose as my companion."

The policeman intervened then "When you say 'companion', is this a sexual relationship?"

Both the Doctor and Rose shouted out "No!" indignantly.

Jackie advanced on the Doctor "Then what is it? Because you, you waltz in here all charms and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the earth! How old are you then? 40? 45? What, did you find her on the Internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a Doctor?"

"I AM a Doctor!"

"Prove it! Stitch this, mate." Jackie slapped him hard, the Doctor groaned loudly as Rose rolled her eyes.

OoOoOo

Rose hugged her mum in the kitchen as they both cried, she hated that she had forgotten her mother again but she had been so overwhelmed by seeing the Doctor again… her leather Doctor, that calling her mum had slipped her mind and seemed inconsequential compared to being with him.

"Did you think about me at all?" Jackie asked shakily.

"I did! All the time! But…" Rose trailed off.

"One phone call. Just to know that you were alive!"

"I'm sorry. I really am!"

Jackie looked at her daughter in concern "Do you know what terrifies me, is that you still cant say. What happened to you, Rose? What could be so bad that you cant tell me, sweetheart? Where were you?"

"I was with the Doctor" Rose answered honestly "We travelled, went to Cardiff - I told you I wanted to travel before I left!"

Jackie stared at Rose silently.

OoOoOo

Rose sat on the wall on the roof as the Doctor leant against it.

"I told her I was with you - that we went travelling, went to Cardiff" Rose said breaking the silence, as the Doctor glanced at her "But I missed a year! She's never gonna forgive me! Was it good?"

The Doctor shrugged "Middling"

"Well I'm so glad I got you! You're useless!"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "Well, if it's this much trouble, are you gonna stay here now?"

"No" Rose answered looking at her leather Doctor "No, but I cant do that to her again"

The Doctor couldn't quite hide his smile when she didn't even hesitate to answer. "Well, she's not coming with us." 

Rose burst out laughing at that, the Doctor joined in.

"No chance! Can you imagine?"

The Doctor chuckled "I don't do families."

"I cant imagine why" Rose responded dryly.

"She slapped you!" She added with a laugh.

"900 years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother."

Rose snorted "Your face!"

"It hurt!"

"You're so gay!"

The Doctor rubbed his cheek, offended.

"When you say 900 years…"

The Doctor looked at Rose "That's my age."

"Your nine hundred years old"

"Yeah."

Rose looked at the Doctor "Well, looking good for an old man" she teased.

"Oi!"

A spacecraft then narrowly missed their heads as it fell from the sky and headed for central London, smashing into Big Ben. The Doctor and Rose stood there with their mouths open, before he laughed happily clearly about to run off straight into the action.

Rose pulled him back by his arm "Do you really think we'll be able to get close enough to see what happened, in the middle of central London?"

The Doctor frowned "Good point, and we cant exactly use the TARDIS to get closer"

"We could do what everybody else does" the Doctor looked at her questioningly before she added "We could watch it on TV" the Doctor looked as though this is a completely new idea to him.

Rose sat on the couch as the Doctor watched the TV intently.

She thought about all the people that had been killed by the Slitheen family - she wouldn't be able to save the experts because she wouldn't be allowed in and she couldn't exactly warn the Doctor without him getting suspicious.

She sighed in annoyance causing the Doctor to look at her curiously, Rose smiled faintly at him as she felt the TARDIS' presence hum in the back of her mind and the picture of a man appeared in her mind, showing her who she could save.

Jackie came in and gave Rose a cup of tea as she said "I've got no choice! Either I make him welcome, or I run the risk of never seeing you again!"

Jackie continued to babble on to one of her friends as the Doctor looked at them annoyed "Oi! I'm trying to listen!"

"Oh, guess who asked me out - Billy Crewe" Jackie announced to her friends.

Rose watched as the Doctor shook his head in annoyance, and tried not to laugh as a toddler took the remote making the Doctor wrestle it off him.

After the news report the Doctor slipped outside the backdoor of Rose's flat.

"A bit to domestic in their for you?" Rose asked from the doorway.

"Blimey, Rose!" The Doctor said as he jumped.

She grinned at him "Where you going?"

"Nowhere!" He replied defensively.

She rolled her eyes "You could just say that you're going to see the alien that they found in the wreckage, Doctor."

He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Promise you'll come back?"

The Doctor felt his jacket pockets "Tell you what - TARDIS key" he handed a key on a chain to her "About time you had one." He added grinning "See you later!"

Rose beamed at him as he left, clutching the key tightly in her hand.

Rose moved back into the flat and settled onto the armchair that the Doctor had vacated.

"Here's to the Martians!" Jackie toasted.

"The Martians!" Is echoed across the room.

Mickey then appeared in the doorway and the laughter died down as he stared at Rose.

"Mickey! I'm so sorry, I was gonna come round… but then…" She trailed off uneasily, she had broken up with him before she left for a year and people would have thought he was a murder suspect thanks to her forgetting about it.

"Someone else owes Mickey an apology!" Someone said looking at Jackie.

Jackie sighed "It's not my fault. Be fair. What was I supposed to think?" she gave Mickey a look before she walked into the kitchen.

Rose and Mickey followed her in.

"You disappear - who do they turn to? Your boyfriend. Five times, I was taken in for questioning. Five times. No evidence, of course there couldn't be, could there. And then I get her - your mother." He pointed at Jackie who rolled her eyes "Whispering around the estate - pointing the finger - stuff through my letterbox - and all 'cos of you."

"I'm really sorry Mickey!"

"And I was waiting for you Rose! Twelve months. Waiting for you and the Doctor to come back!"

"Hold on, you knew about the Doctor? Why didn't you tell me?" Jackie interrupted.

Mickey noticed someone trying to listen in and shut the window and closed the door.

"Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose? Huh? How could I tell her where you went?"

"Tell me now!" Jackie demanded.

Mickey looked gleeful "I might as well, 'cos your stuck here. The Doctor's gone. Just now, that box thing just faded away."

Rose frowned at Mickey "He'll come back"

"He's left you. Some boyfriend HE turned out to be!"

Rose rolled her eyes and rushed out of the flat down to where the TARDIS had been parked quickly.

Mickey and Jackie both followed her out and Rose just stood there silently waiting for the Doctor to reappear.

"Oh, he's dumped you, Rose. Sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh? Now you are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it!"

Jackie looked confused "What's the Doctor done now?"

Mickey chortled "He's vamoosed!"

Rose turned to him angrily "He's coming back, Mickey!" She pulled out the TARDIS key "'Cos he gave me this!"

Mickey gave a 'so what?' sort of shrug.

Rose stopped herself from replying as she saw the key had started to glow in time with the TARDIS engines, she smirked at him "I said so."

Rose entered the TARDIS doors when she had materialised.

The Doctor didn't glance round as he spoke "The whole crash landing's a fake - I thought so, it's just too perfect. I mean 'hitting Big Ben' come on, so I thought -"

Rose cut him off "My mums here."

The door creaked open as Jackie and Mickey entered, the Doctor looked around.

He sighed in annoyance "Oh, that's JUST what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic!"

Mickey stormed up to the Doctor "You ruined my life, Doctor!" The Doctor spun around smoothly to face him "They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you!"

The Doctor turned to Rose "See what I mean? Domestic" He spun back to face the computer screen.

Mickey took a few steps towards him "I bet you don't even remember my name!"

"Ricky." The Doctor answered curtly, winking at Rose.

"It's Mickey."

"No, it's Rickey"

"I think I know my own name." Mickey sneered at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at Mickey "You THINK you know your own name? How stupid are you?"

Rose tried not to laugh as the Doctor and Mickey argued, she had almost forgotten her mum was still there. Jackie looked around the TARDIS bewildered before running out again.

Rose sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Mickey looked at her "Your not going after her?"

"What could I do?" She turned to the Doctor "So, that was a real spaceship?"

"Yep!" The Doctor grinned at her.

"So, what're they doing then? Invading?"

Mickey peered over the Doctor's shoulder "Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert." Rose almost smiled as she saw the first glimpse of the man who Mickey had become in the parallel world.

The Doctor looked grudgingly impressed "Good point! So, what're they up to?"

OoOoOo

As the Doctor was wedged under the console, Mickey peered down at him curiously "So, what're you doing down there?"

The Doctors response was muffled as he was holding the sonic screwdriver between his teeth "Rickey."

"It's Mickey" Mickey ground out.

Rose sniggered as the Doctor took the sonic screwdriver from his mouth and repeated "Rickey." Mickey rolled his eyes, annoyed "If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?"

"I suppose not…"

"Shut it, then" He put the sonic screwdriver back between his teeth as Mickey moved over to Rose.

"Some friend you've got."

Rose chuckled "He's winding you up" Mickey still looked upset "I am sorry."

"It's okay."

"I am though!"

"Every day, I looked. On every street corner, wherever I went, looking for a blue box for a whole year!"

"It's only been a few days for me" Rose shrugged.

"Not enough time to miss me then?"

"I did miss you, Mickey" Rose smiled at him.

Mickey smiled back "I missed you."

Rose coughed, she couldn't lead Mickey on again "Been seeing anyone in the last 12 months?"

"No, mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you."

"Right." Rose looked down guiltily.

Mickey hesitated "So… now that you've come back… are you gonna stay?"

"… No" Rose said eventually.

The awkward moment was broken by the sound of sparks from beneath the console and the Doctor shouting "Got it! Haha!"

Rose moved to join him.

"Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of the spaceship, here we go… hold on… see, the spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed"

"What does that mean?" Rose looked at the Doctor.

"It means it came from Earth in the first place - it went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived. They've been here for a while. The question is, what have they been doing?"

The Doctor started switching the television from channel to channel.

Mickey looked at him "How many channels do you get?"

"All the basic packages." The Doctor replied absently.

"You get sports channels?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes at Mickey "Yes, I get the football." He looked back to the screen "Hold on, I know that bloke" he paused "UNIT! United Nations Intelligence Task force - good people."

"You used to work for them" Rose stated.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her.

"I searched you on the Internet" She blushed under his gaze.

Mickey added on "If you searched deep enough then you would have found his name, followed by a list of the dead."

"That's nice. Good boy, Rickey"

"Hold on! Mickey you cant put that on him," Both the Doctor and Mickey turned to Rose "Because wherever the Doctor's been he's saved lives! He saved us from the Nestene Consciousness with it's living plastic, if the Doctor hadn't been there how much more worse could it have been?" Rose was glaring at Mickey now, who backed away meekly.

The Doctor was staring at Rose in shock, she already believed in him that much? Even after he ignored her with the Gelth and Gwyneth… she still defended him against her boyfriend.

She turned to the Doctor, blushing as she saw the astounded expression he was looking at her with "So if you know them, why don't you go and help?"

That brought the Doctor back to the present as he smirked at her "They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix. I'm going undercover… and eh, better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Rickey! You've got a car - you can do some driving."

He walked towards the TARDIS door with Rose following behind as Mickey shouted "Where to?!"

"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship."

As they stepped out of the TARDIS, they were immediately caught out by a searchlight.

"Do not move!"

Police cars and soldiers surrounded them, pointing guns at them and preventing their escape. Mickey made a run for it whilst Jackie ran out of the flats and tried to reach Rose, but was prevented by two soldiers "No!"

Mickey hid behind some dustbins as Rose and the Doctor shared a look.

"Raise your hands above your head! You are under arrest!"

Rose and the Doctor both obeyed.

"Take me to your leader!" The Doctor grinned at Rose who rolled her eyes with a laugh.

They both clambered into the back of a police car before they drove off.

"This is a bit posh… so what do you reckon, arrested or escorted?"

"Escorted, definitely escorted!" The Doctor chuckled.

"Where to?"

"Where'd you think? Downing Street!"

He laughed happily and Rose joined in.

"10 Downing Street? I'm going to 10 Downing Street!"

"That's the one!"

Rose laughed gleefully, as the Doctor grinned at her.

"How come?"

"Well as you and Mickey pointed out, over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times and I've been, uh - noticed."

"Now they need you"

"Like it said on the news - they're gathering experts in alien knowledge. And who's the biggest expert of the lot?" He grinned at her expectantly.

Rose gave him her tongue in tooth grin as she teased "Patrick Moore?"

The Doctor's face fell slightly "Apart from him!"

"Ah, don't you just love it…"

"I'm telling you, Lloyd George - he used to drink me under the table. Who's the Prime Minister now?"

Rose rolled her eyes "How should I know? I missed a year!"

The Doctor got out of the car when it pulled up, Rose following close behind, as he waved at all the police officers whilst grinning manically.

"Oh my God, Doctor!" Rose whispered, rolling her eyes.

They were stood outside the meeting room where Indra Garnesh was speaking to the experts "Ladies and Gentlemen, could we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right and can I remind you, ID cards are to be worn at all times." He approached the Doctor and passed him, his ID card "Here's your ID card. I'm sorry, your companion doesn't have clearance."

The Doctor shook his head "I don't go anywhere without her."

"You're the code nine, not her."

Rose smiled as Harriet joined them.

"I'm sorry, Doctor… it is the Doctor isn't it? She'll have to stay outside."

Rose interrupted "It's alright, Doctor, you go. But be careful, yeah?" she grinned at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're the experts, you should hear what they've got to say."

The Doctor nodded "I s'pose so. Don't get into any trouble."

She smiled at the Doctor as he followed the other experts into the room.

Rose turned to Harriet and Indra who were still arguing "Why don't me and you look after each other?" she said softly to the older woman, who nodded relieved.

"Yes, of course" Harriet agreed "Walk with me. Just keep walking…" she took Rose's arm and lead her past the guards at the door. "Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North." She showed Rose her ID card.

Rose and Harriet sat in the corridor as Harriet talked, getting more upset and distressed as she spoke "This friend of yours… he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?"

Rose wrapped her arms around Harriet "Yeah, yeah we can help"

Harriet broke down in tears then, once she regained herself she lead Rose into the cabinet room and showed Rose the skin suit of a man that had been thrown into the cupboard.

"They turned the body into a suit! A disguise for the thing inside!" She broke down again.

"It's alright! I believe you, me and the Doctor - we can help" she started rummaging around the room then, before opening the cupboard she knew was holding the Prime Minister's body.

When it fell out both Harriet and Rose rushed to examine it.

"Oh, my God!" Harriet gasped "This is the Prime Minister!"

Indra walked in then "Harriet, for God's sake! This has gone beyond a joke - you cannot just wander -" he stopped short when he spotted the body "T-that's the Prime Minister!"

All three of them were stood staring at the body when they heard Margaret the Slitheen "Ohhh!" she said mockingly "Has someone been naughty?"

They all looked at each other as Margaret shut the door behind her, Rose stepped forward and pulled Indra away from the Slitheen and back with her and Harriet.

Indra allowed her to drag him as he just stared blankly at the body "That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minis-"

Rose interrupted him "And who told you that?"

Indra and Harriet both looked at her as she continued to glare at Margaret.

"Oh! This ones clever!" Margaret laughed.

She moved the hair on her forehead and started to unzip the skin suit, revealing herself to the disgust of Rose, and the shock of Harriet and Indra.

Margaret roared in delight as she stepped forward, getting ready to kill the three of them.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading, sorry the chapters a bit short!


	6. Chapter 5 - World War Three

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who reviewed Chapter Three, I really appreciate it.

I am trying to update every day or at least every few days so you wont have to wait long for a new chapter.

OoOoOo

**World War Three **

Rose guided Harriet and Indra backwards with her as Margaret the Slitheen stepped forward.

_Anytime now Doctor! _She thought desperately.

Rose sighed in relief as Margaret was suddenly covered in electricity.

"Come on!" She shouted as she grabbed Harriet and Indra's hands and dragged them past the convulsing Slitheen.

As the three of them ran down the corridor, Harriet panicked "No, wait!" Rose and Indra looked back at her "They're still in there! The emergency protocols! We need them!"

Just as she was about to run back to the cabinet room, Rose and Indra shared a look and grabbed an arm each before continuing to run.

Rose just shouted "The emergency protocols are useless if we're dead!"

Margaret the Slitheen then came leaping out of the doorway they had just come from, roaring as she chased them.

They ran through a doorway, Indra and Harriet taking the lead as Rose closed the door behind them.

Margaret leapt through it as the three arrived in a different room, again shutting the door behind them.

Rose kneed a locked door as the lift pinged open revealing the Doctor.

Margaret roared at him as he smiled and nodded around at them all before he greeted pleasantly "Hello!" the doors shut again as Rose, Harriet and Indra slipped away unnoticed as Margaret was distracted.

Rose groaned as they entered the same room as last time, that had no open doors.

"Hide!" She hissed at Indra and Harriet, as she dashed behind the same curtain as last time.

Indra and Harriet both hid together.

Margaret entered the room and said playfully "Oh, such fun! Little human children… where are you? Sweet little humeykins… come to me… let me kiss you better…" she started looking around the room "…kiss you with my big, green lips" she hissed.

Rose closed her eyes, unable to stop the prickle of fear when she heard two more Slitheen enter the room.

"My brothers" Margaret greeted fondly.

"Happy hunting?" One of them asked.

Margaret the Slitheen replied happily "It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink."

"Sweat… and fear!" The other male Slitheen smelled the air.

"I can smell an old girl… stale bird… brittle bones." The first male Slitheen added.

"A young man… eager to please…" The second laughed.

Margaret chuckled "And a ripe youngster. All hormones and adrenaline. Fresh enough to bend before she snaps."

Margaret swept the curtain aside revealing Rose who cant stop a scream from escaping her.

Hearing this Harriet jumped out "No! Take me first! Take me!" Indra stood looking terrified behind her.

Rose grinned in relief as the Doctor then came crashing in, blasting a fire extinguisher in the Slitheen's faces "Out with me!"

Rose pulled the curtains down over Margaret's head and ran over to the Doctor, Harriet and Indra standing behind him already.

The Doctor looked at them curiously "Who the hell are you?"

"Harriet Jones - MP for Flydale North!"

"Indra Garnesh… we met in the lobby!"

"Oh nice to meet you!"

"Likewise" Indra and Harriet said in unison.

The Doctor blasted the fire extinguisher again before throwing it away and leading the way down the corridor.

"We need to get to the cabinet rooms!" He shouted as he runs.

Harriet piped up "The emergency protocols are in there! They give instructions on aliens!"

The Doctor smiled "Harriet Jones - I like you"

"And I like you too!" She smiled at him.

The Doctor opened a door with his sonic screwdriver before heading to the cabinet room.

Rose stood to the left of the Doctor and Harriet to the right with Indra just behind them as the Doctor picked up a bottle of brandy and held his sonic screwdriver to it, as they stood in the doorway of the cabinet room.

The Slitheen stood opposite them.

"One more move and my sonic device with triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off!" The Doctor threatened.

The Slitheen hesitated as the Doctor continued "Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"

Rose cut in before Harriet "They're family - Margaret, she called them her brothers!"

The Doctor glanced at her surprised and grinned.

One of the Slitheen interrupted "Well, who are you, if not human?"

Harriet glanced around confused "Who's not human?"

"He's not human" Rose nodded to the Doctor.

"He's not human?" Indra asked disbelieving.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Can I have a bit of hush?"

"Sorry." Harriet apologised.

The Doctor turned back to the Slitheen "So - you're a family?"

"But he's go a Northern accent." Indra stated confused.

Rose shook her head "Lots of planets have a North"

"I said hush. Come on!" He held the brandy threateningly out in front of him.

"You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal"

"They murdered their way to the top of government." Rose interjected.

"So what for? Invasion?"

The Slitheen sneered "Why would we invade this godforsaken rock?"

"Doctor - if they're a family, maybe it's not an invasion but a family business?" Rose asked.

"Ah" Margaret intervened teasingly "What a clever little human!"

The Doctor looked at her "So what profit can the Slitheen family find on a godforsaken rock?"

"Ahh… excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability…?"

The Doctor smiled uneasily "Is that what I said?"

"You're making it up!"

"Ah well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it" The Doctor offered her the brandy.

"Pass it to the left first."

"Sorry" He handed it to Rose.

"Thanks"

"Now we can end this hunt… with a slaughter!" He flexed his claws menacingly.

The Doctor folded his arms as the Slitheen shuffled forwards.

"Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr Chicken." The Doctor grinned "He was a nice man. 1796, this was the cabinet room - if the cabinet's in session and in danger, these are the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." He pressed a switch near the door "End of lesson." Every entrance to the room was then immediately blocked by metal shutters.

The Doctor turned to face Rose, Harriet and Indra.

Rose smiled at him "About to get killed by aliens, and you just have to give a history lesson!"

The Doctor smirked as he looked around "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."

Rose arched an eyebrow "I found a flaw in your plan"

"What?"

"We cant get out, genius!" She teased him.

The Doctor paused "Ah."

The Doctor and Indra then put the Prime Ministers body back into the cupboard as he asked "Right, what have we got? Any terminals? Anything?"

"No. This place is antique" Rose replied.

Indra spoke up then from where he was sat next to Harriet at the table "I-if those things - those creatures murdered their way to the top of government. Why didn't they use the Prime Minister's body?"

The Doctor didn't look at him as he started examining the walls with his sonic screwdriver "He's too slim - they're big old beasts, they need to fit inside big humans."

"But the Slitheen are about 8 feet?" Rose questioned as she sat on the edge of the table.

The Doctor went to the other side of the room "That's the device around their necks - compression field - literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange."

Rose nodded "Wish I had a compression field. I could fit a size smaller" the Doctor chuckled.

"Excuse me, people are dead, this is not the time for making jokes." Harriet reprimanded.

"Sorry… you get used to this stuff when you're friends with him" She pointed to the Doctor.

"Well, that's a strange friendship"

The Doctor turns to face the three of them "Harriet Jones - I've heard that name before - Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything are you?"

"Huh! Hardly" She scoffed.

"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones…"

"Lifelong back bencher I'm afraid, and a fat lit of use I'm being now - the protocols are redundant, they list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs."

"Can't we just launch a missile at them?" Rose asked looking at the Doctor.

Harriet stared at Rose "You're a very violent young woman…"

"I'm serious! We could!"

"Well, whilst we could launch a missile from here, we would need a working phone and I believe the first thing they did was disable communications in here"

Rose nodded "Nuclear strike?"

"We'll there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do nee a release code, but it's kept by the United Nations."

The Doctor turned to listen "Say that again"

"What, about the codes?" Harriet asked.

"Anything. All of it"

"Um, well… the British Isles cant gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN" 

"Like that's ever stopped them" Rose interjected dryly.

"Exactly, given our past record - and I voted against that, thank you very much. The codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN." She glanced at the Doctor "Is it important?"

"Everything's important"

Indra spoke up "But what do the Slitheen want?"

Rose replied "If it's a family business they'll be out to make a profit - like you said, right Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded "Yeah, it's just a family so it's not an invasion. So if they are out to make a profit, it means they want to use something, something here on Earth… some kind of asset."

"Like what? Gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet guessed.

The Doctor grinned at her "You're very good at this."

"Oh, thank you" She smiled back, pleased.

"Harriet Jones - why do I know that name?"

Rose's phone went off "Oh! That's me" She jumped off the table and pulled her phone out from her pocket.

"But we're sealed off - how did you get a signal?"

Rose grinned at the Doctor "Frequent flyers privilege - he zapped it, super-phone"

"Then we can phone for help!" Harriet exclaimed as she looked to the Doctor "You must have contacts?"

"Dead downstairs, yeah"

"It's Mickey" Rose said softly.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy." He replied annoyed.

"Not my boyfriend… and not so stupid" Rose retorted as she showed the Doctor the picture of the Slitheen, Mickey had sent to her.

OoOoOo

Rose was on the phone to Mickey as he rambled "No, no, no, no, no - not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!"

Rose grimaced as she heard her mum shout "I could've died!"

"Is she alright though? Both of you?"

She didn't get an answer as the Doctor snatched the phone away.

"Is that Rickey? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer."

"It's Mickey. And why should I?" Rose heard Mickey reply faintly.

"Mickey the idiot - I might just choke before I finish this sentence but eh - I need you." He grimaced as he speaks.

Rose sniggered "Oh I bet that was painful!"

The Doctor glared at her as he put the mobile on speakerphone.

"Say again."

"It's asking for the password." Mickey's voice rang out in the cabinet room.

"Buffalo - two F's, one L"

"So, what's that website?" Rose heard her mum ask.

"All the secret information known to mankind." Mickey replied to her "See they've known about aliens for years, they just kept us in the dark."

"Mickey, you were born in the dark." The Doctor interrupted.

Rose rolled her eyes "Oh, leave him alone"

"Thank you. Password again."

"Just repeat it, every time." He started wandering around again "Big Ben - why did the Slitheen hit Big Ben?"

"You said to gather the experts - to kill them." Harriet answered.

The Doctor shook his head "That lot would have gathered for a weather balloon, you don't need to crash land in the middle of London."

Rose looked at the Doctor "What if it isn't crashed?"

The Doctor turned to face her "What do you mean?"

"You said, back in the TARDIS, that the spaceship was sent from Earth and programmed to loop back down again, so the Slitheen wanted the world on red alert" The Doctor frowned at her "So what if it's not crashed, just parked?" Rose suggested, hoping that this hint didn't raise any suspicions about her knowing more than she should.

Jackie's voice echoed from the phone "Oh, listen to her"

Rose rolled her eyes "Not now mum."

"Well, I've got a question if you don't mind. Because since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter's disappeared off the face of the Earth!"

"I told you what happened." Rose replied softly.

"I'm talking to him!" Jackie shouted back "'Cause I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it. And maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this - is my daughter safe?"

Rose frowned, last time she had waited to see how the Doctor would answer but now, she couldn't. The Doctor was staring at the phone intently as she spoke "I'm fine!"

Jackie ignored her "Is she safe? Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?"

The Doctor glanced up at Rose as she replied "Mum, you cant… you cant ask that! It's not fair" she stared back at the Doctor "There's doing what's right and doing what's safe… they aren't always the same thing and if it comes down to it - I will always want the Doctor to do what's right, because that's who he is mum."

The Doctor was staring at her in shock. That was the second time she had defended him, and it was against her mother… she understood the risk. He finally broke eye contact when Mickey's voice rang out "We're in."

The Doctor rushed around the table as he avoided the question "Right then - on the left, there's a tab - an icon - little concentric circles - click on that"

"What is it?"

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal, now hush, let me work out what it's saying."

"He'll have to answer me one day!" Rose rolled her eyes at Jackie, she loved her mum, but it wasn't fair to put the Doctor on the spot like that.

"Hush!" Mickey hissed at her.

"It's some sort of message."

"What's it say?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shrugged "Don't know - it's on a loop, keeps repeating."

They heard the doorbell ring in the background.

"Hush!"

"That's not me" Mickey said "Go and see who that is."

"It's three o'clock in the morning." Jackie responded.

"Well go and tell them that!"

The Doctor ignored the altercation "It's beaming out into space, who's it for?"

Rose was about to reply when she heard her mum squeal in the background "It's him! It's the thing, it's the Slickeen!"

"They've found us."

"Mickey, I need that signal!" The Doctor said urgently.

"Never mind that! Get out!" Rose shouted at the phone, tears prickling her eyes.

Rose's heart dropped as she heard Mickey reply "We cant, it's by the front door!" and although she knew that they made it out alive, she couldn't stop the complete and utter panic that went through her at the thought of the Slitheen attacking her mum and Mickey.

"Oh, my God. It's unmasking. It's gonna kill us!"

Harriet jumped in as she watched Rose trying not to cry "There's got to be some way of stopping them!"

"You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!" Indra shouted at the Doctor.

"I'm trying!"

Rose looked at the Doctor as they heard Mickey say "I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back. Just run."

"Doctor, that's my mother" Rose said shakily, as they heard the door being smashed in.

He looked at her, and saw her eyes shining with unshed tears "Right! If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from - which planet. So, judging by their face and shape that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!"

Indra shouted "They're green!"

"Yep, narrows it down"

"They can smell adrenaline" Rose added.

"Narrows it down."

"The compression technology!" Harriet said.

"Narrows it down."

"It's getting in!" They heard Mickey yell.

"The gas!" Rose shouted "It smells like -"

"Bad breath!" Harriet jumped in.

Rose grinned at her.

"Calcium decay! Now that narrows it down!"

"We're getting there mum!" Rose shouted down the phone.

"Calcium phosphate, organic calcium, creatures made out of living calcium, what else, what else - hyphenated sodium - yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!"

"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter" Mickey shouted back sarcastically.

"Get into the kitchen!" The Doctor responded.

"My God, it's going to rip us apart!" Jackie screamed.

"Calcium, recombined with compression field - ascetic acid. Vinegar!"

Harriet grinned at the Doctor "Just like Hannibal!"

"Just like Hannibal. Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"How should I know?"

"It's your kitchen!"

Rose rolled her eyes "Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf!"

"What do you need?" Jackie took the phone from Mickey.

"Anything with vinegar!" Rose half shouted at her mother.

"Gherkins!… Yeah! Pickled onions!… Pickled eggs!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Rose "You kiss this man?"

"Not anymore!" She shot back at him with a grin.

They heard a bang after a few seconds of silence and the Doctor, Rose, Indra and Harriet all breathed a sigh of relief.

Rose rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder as Indra asked "Hannibal?"

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar!" Harriet replied happily.

"Oh. Well, there you go then." Rose grinned up at the Doctor who smiled back at her.

The four of them raised their glasses in toast, and drank.

They sat around the table for a few moments before Mickey said "Listen to this."

Rose sat up as the Doctor leaned forward.

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our head and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."

"What?" The Doctor asked as they listened to the Slitheen speak.

"Our technicians can - baffle - the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations - pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because… from this moment on… it is my solemn duty to inform you… planet Earth is at war."

"He's making it up. There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."

"Do you think they'll believe him?" Indra asked.

Rose looked to the Doctor "I think we've found the reason why they wanted the world on red alert"

The Doctor nodded in realisation "That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot - you get scared, you lash out."

"They release the defence codes…"

"The Slitheen go nuclear."

Indra and Harriet watched the Doctor and Rose silently.

The Doctor walked over to the door, Rose standing at his side.

"You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three - whole planet gets nuked."

Margaret the Slitheen walked forward, this time in her skin suit.

"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed."

"But parked" The Doctor finished, remembering Rose's guess from before.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?" Harriet asked in shock.

"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space - an advert."

Margaret the Slitheen smirked at them "Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chunks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel"

"At the cost of 5 billion lives." The Doctor glared at her.

"Bargain" Margaret sneered back.

"Then I give you the choice - leave this planet or I'll stop you."

The Slitheen all burst out laughing as Margaret stepped closer "What? You?" she mocked "Trapped in your box?"

The Doctor stared at her unabashed "Yes. Me."

Margaret laughed again but this time with an edge of nervousness as the Doctor fixed her in his gaze before he closed the shutters.

OoOoOo

Jackie had the phone again as she asked "Alright, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do."

"Mickey, any luck?" Rose asked softly.

"There's loads of emergency numbers - they're all on voicemail."

Rose watched as the Doctor leant against the wall quietly, deep in thought.

"Voicemail dooms us all!" Harriet sighed.

"If we could just get out of here…" Rose said desperately glancing at the Doctor.

"There's a way out." He stared at her "There's always been a way out."

"Then why don't we use it?" Rose asked incredulous.

He strode over to the table and leant over to speak into the phone "Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe."

"Don't you dare. Whatever it is, don't you dare!" Jackie replied furiously.

"That's the thing, if I don't dare, everyone dies."

Rose interrupted "Do it."

The Doctor looked up at her "You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"

Rose replied simply "Yeah."

He stared at her silently.

Jackie shouted through the phone "Please, Doctor. Please! She's my daughter, she's just a kid!"

Before the Doctor responded, Rose jumped in "Mum! Remember what I said. There's what's right and what's safe - whatever it is the Doctor needs to do, is what's right! If it saves the Earth and everyone on it, then how can I ask him to choose me over 5 billion lives? This is what he does mum! He stands up and makes a decision because nobody else will!" She turned to the Doctor who was still staring at her as she continued "So, what're you waiting for, Doctor?"

The Doctor stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time, she had such complete and utter faith in him - even going so far as to let him risk her life without questioning it. She understood that sometimes he had to make the hard decisions because nobody else could.

He spoke softly "I could save the world but lose you."

They stared into each others eyes for a long moment until Rose averted her gaze, blushing lightly.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine." Harriet intervened.

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie asked angrily.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people, and on behalf of the people I command you. Do it."

Indra nodded in agreement as he stood beside Harriet.

The Doctor looked back to Rose and grinned.

"So, how do we get out?" Rose arched an eyebrow.

The Doctor opened the briefcase containing the emergency protocols "We don't. We stay here." He opened the emergency protocols.

He shuffled through the protocols before he addressed Mickey "Use the buffalo password, it overrides everything."

Jackie's voice was faint over the phone "What're you doing?"

"Hacking into the Royal Navy." Mickey paused "We're in. Here it is, uh… H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar Class Submarine, 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth."

"Right, we need to select a missile."

"We can't go nuclear, we don't have the defence codes."

"We don't need it, all we need is an ordinary missile. What's the first category?"

"Sub Haffoon, UGMA4A"

"That's the one. Select."

"I could stop you." Jackie said quietly.

"Do it, then"

"Ready for this?" The Doctor interrupted.

"Yeah"

"Mickey the Idiot. The world is in your hands. Fire."

"Oh, my God!" Rose took that as confirmation of the missile heading their way.

Harriet tapped the steel shutters "How solid are these?"

"Not solid enough, built for short range attack, nothing this big."

"Alright. Now I'm making the decision. I'm not gonna die, we're gonna ride this one out" Rose opened the cupboard door "It's like what they say about earthquakes, you can survive 'em by standing under a doorframe. Now this cupboards small so it's strong. Come and help me! Come on!"

Harriet and Indra rushed over to start emptying the cupboard.

"It's on radar. Counter defence 556."

"Stop them intercepting it." The Doctor commanded.

"I'm doing it now."

"Good boy."

"556 neutralized."

The Doctor ripped the mobile off speakerphone and handed it to Rose as Indra and Harriet sat on one side of the cupboard.

"Doctor…" Rose trailed off as he turned to her. _Now's as good a time as any_ she thought.

She grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to her as she kissed him.

The Doctor looked completely startled as she let him go, he stared at her.

Rose blushed and dragged him into the cupboard, she sat down next to Harriet in the middle as the Doctor sat on her other side.

They all held hands as Harriet said "Nice knowing you all!"

They braced themselves as they waited for the missile to hit.

The four of them were shaken around in the cupboard until it all stopped.

The Doctor emerged from the wreckage first, leading Rose out by the hand both of them followed by Harriet, then Indra.

"Made in Britain." Harriet said proudly, as she looked around.

The Police Sergeant rushed over to them "Are you alright?"

Harriet flashed her ID card at him "Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact the UN immediately, tell the ambassadors that the crisis is over and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He hurried away again.

"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!"

"Maybe you should have a go?" Rose said with a smile.

"Me?" Harriet laughed "I'm only a back-bencher"

Indra chuckled "I'd vote for you."

"Now, don't be silly."

Rose and the Doctor grinned at her.

"Look, I'd better go and see if I can help." She headed off, Indra following close behind. "Hang on!" She shouted over the crowd "The Earth is safe! Sergeant!"

The Doctor beamed at her "I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones - future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms - the architect of Britain's Golden Age."

They both watched as Harriet and Indra rushed over to the people "The crisis has passed! Ladies and Gentlemen - I have something to say to you all! Mankind stands tall - proud - and undefeated. God bless the human race."

The Doctor and Rose walked off hand in hand.

"So are you going to tell me why you kissed me?" The Doctor asked suddenly as he looked down at his blonde companion.

"I- I… uh" She stumbled over her words as she blushed, avoiding his gaze "You didn't object!" she finally blurted out.

The Doctor snorted as he stopped walking.

Rose finally looked up at him.

"So why did you?" He stared at her intently, watching as she fidgeted under his gaze.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Rose looked away. She had known she wouldn't die, but kissing him was a spur of the moment thing - she hadn't really thought it through.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, before she turneed back to him and pressed her lips to his gently.

She poured all her feelings for him into the kiss, hoping that would be enough.

She closed her eyes as he responded, wrapping his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck.

When she pulled away she asked "Does that answer your question?"

He chuckled as she took his hand and lead him back to the TARDIS.

OoOoOo

They parted ways at the TARDIS, Rose heading back up to her mum's flat where she is greeted by a hug from her very relieved mother.

Rose sat on the chair in front of the TV as she watched a repeat of Harriet's speech.

Jackie came in and looked contemptuously at the TV "Harriet Jones. Who does she think she is? Look at her! Taking all the credit. Should be you on there." She addressed the TV "My daughter saved the world!"

Rose smiled "I think the Doctor helped a bit…"

Jackie sat down "Oh, alright then. Him too. You should be given knighthoods."

Rose smiled at the memory of Queen Victoria knighting her and her pinstriped Doctor for a moment before replying "That's not the way he does things. No fuss, he just… moves on. He's not that bad if you gave him a chance."

Jackie sighed "He's good in a crisis, I'll give him that."

Rose teased "Oh! Now the world has changed, you're saying nice things about him."

"Well, I reckon I've got no choice!" She said annoyed "There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated."

"I'm not infatuated… I love him" She whispered the last part, but Jackie still heard her.

Jackie glanced at Rose "What does he eat?"

"Mum, no" Rose smiled "He doesn't do… family"

"Well, since you so in love with him - I want to learn about you and him and this life you lead."

"He doesn't do domestic…" Rose trailed off as Jackie ignored her, walking into the kitchen.

Her mobile rang, and she looked down and saw a little TARDIS icon as the caller ID said 'TARDIS calling' "Doctor?" she grinned as she spoke.

"I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go. I've just got to send out this dispersal… There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."

"My mother wants us to stay for tea" She stated quietly.

"I don't do that."

"I know… so Doctor entice me" she teased.

She heard him pause before he replied "Right now there's this plasma storm brewing in the horse head nebula" Rose listened to him intently "Fires are burning 10 million miles wide. I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out - hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere."

Rose almost groaned as he spoke, he was probably the only person who could make time travel sound incredibly sexy.

"Your choice" He finished and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

Rose got up quickly and started packing her bag. Jackie stood at the doorway watching her pack "I was wondering whether he drinks or not."

"Yeah, he does" Rose replied absently as she continued stuffing things into the bag.

"Don't go, sweetheart." Jackie pleaded as she approached Rose "Please don't go"

Rose looked at her for a moment, before continuing to pack.

When she'd finished stuffing what she needed into the bag, she left the flat.

Jackie close behind her pleading with her not to go.

As they approached Mickey and the Doctor Jackie says "I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends, I'll pass my test and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will."

"I'm not leaving 'cos of you. I'm travelling that's all."

"But it's not safe!"

"Mum, if you saw it out there… you'd never stay home."

She took the backpack off her shoulder and threw it into the Doctor's arms as he said sarcastically "Got enough stuff?"

Rose saw amusement in his eyes as she responded "Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment! Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me. Haha."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Good luck, then." Mickey said softly.

"Yeah, and you better have someone when I next visit!" She smirked at Mickey as she hugged him.

"Yeah…" He said a little sadly.

They both turned to the Doctor as Jackie turned on him "You still cant promise me! What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away - how long do I wait then?"

The Doctor just stood there awkwardly hugging Rose's backpack, not having an answer.

Rose sighed "Mum… as long as the Doctor's alive, he'll make sure I'll come back to you! So stop worrying."

She hugged Jackie as the Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, Rose followed him quickly after waving at Mickey.

The Doctor smiled at her softly.

She walked up to him and kissed him lightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What was that for?" He asked a little breathless as she broke away.

"Making sure before wasn't a one off" Rose replied blushing as the Doctor leant down to kiss her again.

The TARDIS hummed happily in the back of their minds as her Heart and her Thief kissed.

She had seen into Rose's memories and remembered that it took Rose being stuck in the parallel world for the Doctor to admit his feelings.

When the Doctor and Rose had returned to the TARDIS before Rose went to see her mum, she had seen both kisses being replayed in her Heart's mind.

She had decided to ensure that her Thief wouldn't run away from his feelings this time, she would make sure they stayed happy together.

Rose sighed happily as they broke apart again and looked up into the Doctor's eyes, her own showing the love she held for him. The Doctor just grinned down at her.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!

I hope you like how I added the kiss with Rose and Nine.

I really love Nine and hate how short the time is with him, so I thought it could be good having Rose kiss him and yeah… Ten is my favourite Doctor but I wanted the romance to start with Nine.


	7. Chapter 6 - Dalek

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed this story, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Dalek**

Rose smiled happily as she leaned against the Doctor, he pressed a kiss to her head as the TARDIS drifted through the time vortex.

It was a week since she had kissed him in Downing Street, and she was so glad she had.

The Doctor jumped up suddenly and moved to the console.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

"Don't know, some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course…" he trailed off as he landed the TARDIS.

She pulled him down for a kiss before they stepped out of the doors. She had longed to be able to do so freely, ever since she first saw her leather Doctor again.

They looked about themselves and Rose couldn't help but shudder as she remembered the Dalek. They scared her the most, out of every alien she had ever faced - though the Cybermen came close.

The Doctor looked at her concerned.

"I'm fine, just this place creeps me out!"

He chuckled "Well that isn't good."

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"You had a bad feeling in Cardiff and then again in Downing Street, and both times there were murderous aliens."

Rose giggled as the Doctor smirked at her.

"So where are we?"

"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."

"And… when are we?" She arched an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"2012"

"God, that's so close, so I should be… 26." She tried not to remember that in the last timeline, she would currently be in Pete's world.

The Doctor flicked a switch and light flooded the building.

"Blimey! It's a great big museum!" Rose gasped looking around.

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby." He started looking around the exhibits "They must've spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite, moon dust… that's the milometer from the Roswell Spaceship."

He named each exhibit as he passed them.

Rose walked up to an exhibit "That's a bit of Slitheen!" The Doctor walked to her side "That's a Slitheen's arm, it's been stuffed."

The Doctor nodded before he walked over to the head of a Cyberman "Ah! Look at you!"

"An old friend of yours?" Rose tried not to shiver at the memories of the Cybermen in Pete's world or at Canary Warf.

"An old enemy" He corrected "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."

Rose arched an eyebrow "Is that where the signal's coming from, old man?"

The Doctor glanced at her with amusement "Nah, it's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out. Calling for help."

He placed the tip of his finger on the glass, and immediately they were surrounded by soldiers pointing guns at them whilst an alarm goes off.

"You just had to touch" Rose muttered dryly as the Doctor chuckled.

She leant in then to whisper "If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." The Doctor just grinned at the soldiers.

OoOoOo

Rose followed the Doctor into the same room they had been lead to last time.

She watched as Van Statten took the instrument from Adam saying "What does it do?"

She tried not to glare at Adam, he hadn't done anything yet.

"Well you see, the tubes on the side must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel…" Adam replied to Van Statten.

"I really wouldn't hold it like that" The Doctor stated with a smile.

"Shut it" The woman, Goddard glared at him.

"Really, though, that's wrong." He continued happily.

Adam looked a bit afraid "Is it dangerous?"

Rose snorted as the Doctor answered "No. Just looks silly."

Rose leaned forward for the instrument. Security ready their guns when she moves, Van Statten stopped them and handed the object to her.

The Doctor smiled at her and said "You just need to be, delicate" as she ran her fingers gently over the artefact, which played a note similar to a harmonica.

Everyone looked suitably impressed, whilst the Doctor beamed at Rose as she continued to play it.

Van Statten gasped "It's a musical instrument."

The Doctor nodded "And it's a long way from home."

Van Statten stood "Here, let me." He snatched it off Rose, who arched an eyebrow.

"He said 'delicate'."

Van Statten ignored her as he tried to play it, unsuccessfully as it just made a series of bleeping noises.

"It needs precision." The Doctor added.

Van Statten touched it more gently and it played a few notes.

The Doctor smiled "Very good. Quite the expert."

"As are you." He raised an eyebrow as he tossed the instrument aside. The Doctor, Rose and Adam all followed it with their eyes, slightly alarmed. "Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor looked at Van Statten with a slightly disdainful look in his eye now "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

Van Statten scoffed "Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

"The question is, how did you get in? 53 floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplice." Van Statten looked at Rose "Quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty."

Rose snapped "She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her 'she'"

Van Statten turned back to the Doctor "She's English too!" He glanced at Adam "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy - got you a girlfriend."

Rose glowered at Van Statten, the Doctor chuckled quietly as he looked at her.

Adam answered the Doctor's question "This is Mr Henry Van Statten."

"Am I supposed to know or care who he is?" Rose asked snarkily, the Doctor sniggered as Van Statten glared at her.

"Mr Van Statten owns the Internet." Adam answered, looking warily at Rose.

"Well, you're obviously mistaking me for someone who gives a damn." The Doctor smirked at Van Statten as the man gaped at her.

"You should probably be a bit nicer to the man who holds your lives in his hands!" Van Statten sneered at Rose.

Rose shrugged "I'll try being nicer, if you'll try being smarter."

The Doctor tried not to laugh as Van Statten just stared at Rose in shock, he clearly wasn't used to having someone sass him.

Rose on the other hand was trying not to say far more… colourful things as she thought about how the Dalek was tortured, and how hundreds of men were killed because of him… because even though she was terrified of Daleks they didn't deserve to be tortured.

"So you're an expert on just about everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor intervened.

"And you claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." Rose smiled at the Doctor fondly.

Van Statten scowled as Rose didn't comment on the Doctor's 'arrogance' like she had his. "And yet, I captured you" he stated smugly "Right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me." The Doctor shot back.

"The cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?"

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You wanna see it?"

Rose muttered under her breath "That man is cruelly depriving some village of an idiot…" The Doctor chuckled at her obvious dislike of Van Statten.

"Goddard - inform the Cage. We're heading down." Van Statten ordered the woman, who nodded.

Van Statten turned to Adam "You - English. Look after blondie. And you - Doctor with no name… Come and see my pet."

Rose grabbed his arm before he walked off "Be careful Doctor… something feels wrong about this place"

He nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead before following Van Statten.

Rose just followed Adam into his workshop.

"Sorry about the mess. Mr Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing. So long as I deliver the goods…" Rose glanced around "What do you think - that is?" Adam handed Rose an object.

"A lump of metal" Rose stated placing it back down.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I think - well, I'm almost certain - it's from the hull of a spacecraft" He said confidently "The thing is, it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet - spacecrafts - aliens - visitors to Earth - they really exist."

Rose rolled her eyes as she commented dryly "That's amazing!" She couldn't believe she had let him charm her last time.

"I know it sounds incredible, but I honestly believe that the whole universe is teeming with life."

"I'm gob smacked, yeah. And you what? Sit here and catalogue it?"

"Best job in the world!" Adam boasted.

"Imagine if you could get out there. Travel amongst the stars and see it for real."

Rose watched as a look of pure longing entered Adam's face "Yeah… I'd give anything. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen - not in our lifetimes."

"So how'd you end up here?" She asked as she thought whether or not to give Adam another chance, she didn't want the Doctor to assume she fancied him and distance himself from her but she didn't want to condemn him when this time she could prevent what happened last time.

Adam smiled proudly "Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit."

"Ah, right, you're a genius."

"Sorry, but yeah… cant help it, I was born clever."

_And arrogant, apparently, _Rose thought rolling her eyes.

Adam continued on "When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defence System - nearly caused World War Three." He chuckled, clearly thinking he was impressing her.

"What, and that's funny?" Rose arched an eyebrow.

Adam replied quickly "Well, you should've been there! Just to see them running about! Fantastic!"

"You sound like the Doctor." Rose said quietly.

"Are you and him…?" Adam trailed off.

Rose smiled softly "I hope so…"

"So you're not actually together then?" Adam continued hesitantly.

"It's complicated." They hadn't actually spoke about it, just kissed.

"Oh." He sounded a little disappointed.

"So… wouldn't you rather be downstairs? I mean, you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Van Statten's got a living creature down there."

"Yeah… yeah well I did ask but he keeps it to himself. Although if you're a genius - it doesn't take long to patch in on the comms system." 

Rose laughed "Let's have a look then."

Adam tapped some keys on his computer as Rose observed over his shoulder.

"It doesn't do much - the alien. It's weird, it's kind of… useless, it's just like this… great big pepper pot."

The screen turned on and they watched as the Dalek screamed as it was being tortured.

Rose couldn't tear her eyes away "It's being tortured! Where's the Doctor?" She half shouted at Adam, before her eyes widened in alarm. If the Doctor saw the Dalek, he wouldn't have helped it - he would have taunted it and if he had taunted it, he would be revealed to Van Statten as an alien.

Rose stared at the Dalek, watching what they did to their living alien.

"I don't know!"

She hadn't thought about it last time, but he had seemed a bit subdued. She'd just assumed it was because of the Dalek and because she'd invited Adam along so she hadn't been that concerned.

"Take me down there. Now." She ordered Adam, her voice cold as her hatred for Van Statten grows as she thinks of her Doctor being harmed.

She strode out, Adam leading her to the cage.

"Hold it right there!" A guard said.

He flashed his ID "Level three access. Special clearance from Mr Van Statten."

They passed him and entered the cage.

Rose stared at the Dalek, she hated them… but this one, this one was almost human after she had touched it and if she didn't both the Dalek and her Doctor could continue to be tortured by human monsters.

"Don't get too close…" Adam warned as she approached the Dalek.

"Hello?" She said as the Dalek watched her "Are you in pain? My name's Rose Tyler… I've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?" She said the same as last time, knowing the mention of the Doctor was what probably got it to talk.

"Yes."

"What?" Rose stared at the Dalek in concern.

The Dalek raised its eyepiece to look her in the face as it said wearily "I am in pain. They tortured me. But still they fear me. Do you fear me?"

Rose answered honestly "No."

The Dalek lowered it's eyepiece "I am dying."

"No, we can help!"

"I welcome death. But I am glad… that before I die… I met a human who was not afraid."

Rose couldn't help the sadness and pity she felt for this Dalek.

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

"My race is dead. I shall die alone."

Rose had tears in her eyes as she whispered "If I help you… promise you wont kill anyone"

The Dalek looked at her silently.

She placed a hand gently on the Dalek.

"Rose, no!" Adam shouted too late.

She snatched her hand away as the Dalek seemed to come to life again "Genetic material extrapolated - initiate cellular reconstruction!"

It freed itself from the chains as the torturer entered the room "What the hell have you done?!" He yelled at Rose.

"Don't approach it!" Rose shouted.

He sneered at her "Haven't you done enough damage?"

He approached the Dalek as it pointed the sucker at him. "Whatcha gonna do?" He taunted "Sucker me to death?"

The Dalek then proceeded to do exactly that.

Rose and Adam rushed outside of the cage.

"Condition red! Repeat, condition red! This is not a drill!" The soldier they passed before shouted.

A communication link opened to where Rose was from the Doctor.

"You've got to keep it in that cell!" He shouted.

"Sorry, Doctor it's my fault" Rose looked at him.

"I've sealed the compartment. It cant get out -"

Rose cut him off "That man in there died, because he underestimated it!" she shouted at him "Don't do the same thing!"

"Rose is right." The Doctor said through the link "The Dalek's a genius… it can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat."

Rose looked at the Doctor on the screen, before she turned to the soldier "We have to get out of here!"

The door opened and the soldiers all pointed their guns at the Dalek emerging from it.

"Open fire!"

"Rose get out of there!" She heard the Doctor shout.

The soldier turned to a female guard "De Maggio - take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?"

De Maggio turned to Rose and Adam "You - with me!" They followed her lead and ran from the room.

They followed De Maggio out and saw a bunch of security guards.

"Civilians! Let them through!" She shouted.

Rose glanced at them "You cant stop it!" She yelled at the soldiers who don't so much as look at her.

Adam pulled Rose with him as he followed De Maggio.

As they ran they found a flight of stairs.

"Stairs!" Adam exclaimed "That's more like it! It hasn't got legs, it's stuck!"

De Maggio joined them "It's coming! Get up!"

They ran up the stairs and saw the Dalek stop at the foot of them.

Adam smirked as he mocked the Dalek "Great big alien death machine. Defeated by a flight of stairs!"

Rose glared at him as De Maggio shouted down "Now, listen to me. I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate, then I guarantee that Mr Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong. But people have died, and that stops. Right now. The killing stops, have you got that?" The Dalek just watches them "I demand that you surrender, is that clear?"

There was a short pause before the Dalek said "El-ev-ate." The Dalek levitated and floated up the stairs.

"Oh my God" Adam exclaimed gob smacked.

"Adam, get her out of here."

"No." Rose said calmly "I'm not leaving you here."

De Maggio looked at her.

"You cant stop it!"

"Someone's got to try!" De Maggio responded.

"Fine" Rose said firmly "But I'm not leaving you!" Too many people have already died, she thought sadly.

De Maggio tried to push them away.

But Rose slapped Adam's hand off her when he tried to pull her after him.

"Your job was to get us to safety… so you have to come with us, or else I'm dying here with you." Rose stated stubbornly.

De Maggio nodded then "Fine! Come on!"

She lead Adam and Rose through the corridor, as the Dalek followed them slowly.

De Maggio, Rose and Adam entered the weapons testing area as the soldiers got ready to fire.

The commander shouted "Hold your fire! Get them the hell out of there!" He yelled the latter at De Maggio.

"You cant stop it!" Rose shouted helplessly at them, but they ignored her as De Maggio and Adam both dragged her out of the room.

They stopped as they watched the Dalek enter. It stopped and turned to the three of them, focusing on Rose's face.

The three of them ran again.

"It was looking at me…" Rose muttered.

"Yeah, it wants to slaughter us!" Adam shouted back as he and De Maggio ran ahead.

"It's like it knows me…" Realisation appeared to hit her as she whispered what she said last time "It's me… it's following me!"

De Maggio lead the two up a flight of stairs as Rose's phone rang "Doctor!"

"Where are you?" He asked urgently.

"Level 49"

"You've got to keep moving - the vaults being sealed off, bulkhead level 46."

Rose looked up at Adam and De Maggio who are running ahead of her and shouted "We've got to get to bulkhead level 46!"

"I'm sorry, Rose I cant wait and I cant help you… so for God's sake run!" He shouted the last words, desperation clear in his voice.

When they got to floor 46, they rounded a corner as Rose shouted to the Doctor "We're nearly there, give us two seconds!"

"I'm sorry…" He whispered to Rose.

Up ahead Rose, De Maggio and Adam saw the bulkhead closing.

Adam sped up and was almost there as he shouted "Come on!"

As Adam and De Maggio reached it, the soldier turned to Rose who has fallen behind a little.

"Keep going!" Rose shouted to the soldier "Don't worry about me!"

Adam rolled underneath it.

De Maggio stubbornly waited for Rose.

"Please just go!" Rose shouted to her desperately.

The bulkhead shut just as Rose reached it, with De Maggio stood beside her.

"You didn't leave me to face it ma'am" De Maggio responded breathlessly.

Rose lifted the phone back to her ear as she heard the Doctor shouting "Rose, where are you? Rose, did you make it?"

"Sorry, I was a bit slow…" Rose trailed off as she looked at De Maggio.

"See you then, Doctor" She said softly, her voice trembling as the Dalek rounded the corner "It wasn't your fault. Remember that, okay? It wasn't your fault. And do you know what? I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Rose stood in front of De Maggio as the Dalek approached.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek screamed, as it fired its death ray to the side of Rose and De Maggio.

De Maggio opened her eyes and gasped when she realised neither her, nor Rose were killed.

"Go on then, kill me" Rose shouted angrily.

"I am armed. I will kill, It is my purpose." The Dalek responded.

"They're all dead because of you!" Rose shot back.

"They are dead because of us."

Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek, as she realised it's true. She knew what would happen and she let it just because she thought her Doctor was hurt.

De Maggio watched the civilian silently.

"And now what? What're you waiting for?"

"I feel your fear." The Dalek stated.

"Well what do you expect?!"

"Daleks do not fear. Must not fear." It shot the death ray to either side of Rose and De Maggio as it continued hysterically "You gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated!"

Rose and De Maggio watched silently as the Dalek opened up a communication link.

"Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies." It said, completely disregarding De Maggio.

The Doctor looked at Rose an expression of pure joy and relief on his face "You're alive!"

Rose smiled weakly "Cant get rid of me!"

"I thought you were dead."

"Open the bulkhead!" The Dalek demanded.

"Don't do it!" Both Rose and De Maggio shouted at the same time, Rose smiled at the soldier.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"

Rose heard him say quietly "I killed her once… I cant do it again."

The bulkhead opened and Rose walked slowly between the Dalek and De Maggio.

OoOoOo

The three of them were in the lift as they headed to Van Statten's office.

De Maggio and Rose watched as the Dalek's death ray arm twitched slightly.

"I'm begging you, don't kill them - you didn't kill us."

The Daleks eyepiece spun round to Rose, who ducked out of the way.

"But why not? Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?" The Dalek demanded.

The lift opened and they saw Van Statten and Goddard stood nervously in the office.

"Don't move! Don't do anything, it's beginning to question itself" De Maggio ordered Van Statten as she moved over to Goddard on the other side of the room.

The Dalek advanced on Van Statten as Rose walked beside it.

"Van Statten. You tortured me. Why?"

Van Statten backed away terrified "I wanted to help you, I just - I don't know, I - I was just trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you - I wanted you better, I'm sorry."

The Dalek still advanced, backing Van Statten against the wall.

Van Statten's voice rose shrilly "I'm so sorry! I swear! I just wanted you to talk!"

"Then hear me talk now. Exterminate! Exterminate!" Van Statten winced "Exterminate!"

"Don't do it! Don't kill him!" Rose rushed over as the Dalek faced her "There must be something else - not just killing! What d'you want?"

The Dalek turned back to Van Statten, then back to Rose.

"I want freedom."

Rose smiled softly at the Dalek "Then you can have it."

Van Statten went to object, but was quelled by Rose, Goddard and De Maggio glowering at him.

Rose lead the Dalek down the same corridor as last time on floor 01 in the base.

The Dalek fired the death ray at the ceiling to make a hole through which the sunlight flooded, shining on the Dalek.

Rose smiled "You're out. You made it." She looked up at the sunlight "Never thought I'd feel the sunlight again."

"How… does… it… feel?"

The Dalek then opened up its casing to reveal the creature inside. It stretched out to the sunlight.

Rose watched it until a voice behind her made her jump.

"Get out of the way!" The Doctor shouted, he was holding a massive gun and pointing it at the Dalek. Rose remained standing between them both "Rose, get out of the way, now!"

"No!" She shouted back "'Cos I wont let you do this!"

"That thing killed hundreds of people."

"It's not the one pointing the gun at me."

The Doctor stared at her shocked for a second "I've got to do this. I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left."

Rose felt her heart ache at the loneliness and pain in his voice "Look at it." She stood aside as she gestured to the Dalek.

The Doctor looked confused "What's it doing?"

"It's the sunlight, that's all it wants!"

His voice shook "But it cant…"

"It couldn't kill Van Statten - it couldn't kill me and De Maggio - it's changing." Rose hated herself the minute she spoke the next words "What about you Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?"

The Doctor lowered his gun, looking completely lost and close to tears "I couldn't…" Rose stared at him silently "I wasn't…" He looked at the Dalek, then back at Rose "Oh, Rose. They're all dead."

"Why do we survive?" The Dalek asked suddenly.

"I don't know."

"I am the last of the Daleks."

"You're not even that. Rose did more that regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?"

"Something new. I'm sorry."

"I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness… Rose… give me orders! Order me to die."

Rose felt tears trailing down her cheeks as she asked "Is that what you want?"

"This is not life. This is sickness." Rose stared at the Dalek "I shall not be like you. Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!"

Rose paused for a moment "Do it."

"Are you frightened, Rose Tyler?"

Rose's voice shook "Yeah."

"So am I." The Dalek replied feebly "Exterminate."

Rose stumbled backwards and buried her head in the Doctor's shoulder as the Dalek replaced it's armour before levitating into the air, as the golden knobs detached themselves to surround the Dalek in a perfect sphere. The Dalek glowed briefly before it exploded inside the sphere.

The Doctor stared at the place where it disappeared in shock.

Rose wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The Doctor glanced down at her.

"What happened?" Rose asked as she pulls away "After the cage?"

The Doctor looked away.

"Van Statten…" She hesitated, her voice shook as she continued "Did he… did he torture you?"

"Yeah…"

Rose glared at the floor "Knew I should of punched him when I had the chance."

The Doctor chuckled, before leaning down to kiss her softly.

"Come on" He took her hand and lead her back to the TARDIS.

He rested his hand on the blue box, looking at it pensively.

"Little piece of home" He said sadly "Better than nothing."

Rose squeezed his other hand tightly "Is that the end of it? The Time War?"

"I'm the only one left. I win. How about that."

Rose looked at him concerned "The Dalek survived… maybe some of your people did too?"

The Doctor looked at her sadly "I'd know. In here." He gestured to his head "Feels like there's no one."

Rose kissed him "Well then - good thing I'm not going anywhere."

The Doctor smiled at her "Yeah."

They turned to see Adam walking towards them.

"Maybe we could give Adam a little trip… as thanks…" She whispered in the Doctor's ear.

The Doctor looked a bit dejected as he said "Rose, he's a bit pretty." 

Rose stared up at the Doctor "Trust me Doctor, he's really not my type." she gazed into his eyes, his expression softened a little.

"On your own head." He said before disappearing into the TARDIS.

"We'd better get out. Van Statten's dis-"

Rose cut Adam off "Yeah, why don't you come in?" she motioned to the TARDIS before entering.

Adam looked bewildered before following her slowly.

The TARDIS dematerialized as Adam looked around in shock "It's bigger on the inside…" he trailed off.

The Doctor glared at him silently, as Rose rolled her eyes.

She felt the TARDIS hum in the back of her mind and could feel her amusement as she told Rose that the Doctor was jealous.

"Rule one in the TARDIS" The Doctor said suddenly causing Adam and Rose to look at him "Hands off the blonde." He finished shortly, before leaving to his room.

Rose smiled happily after him.

"Wha-" Adam looked even more confused than before.

Rose grinned "Come on… I'll show you to a room you can use"

She lead him to the first room she could find that was close enough to the console room, so that he wouldn't get lost - unless the TARDIS decided to mess with him, of course.

"I'll leave you to get settled then."

Rose left before Adam could speak, heading to the Doctor's room. The TARDIS leading the way.

She knocked quietly on the door, opening it when she heard no answer.

"Doctor?" She asked peeking her head around the door.

He was resting silently on his bed, absent his leather jacket, looking at her curiously.

"Rose?" He questioned as she made no move to speak.

"You okay? You left rather quickly."

"I thought you might want to spend more time with pretty boy."

Rose rolled her eyes walking over to him, motioning for him to move over.

He does silently, watching as she lay beside him.

"I told you… he's not my type."

"Well, why'd you invite him then?"

Rose sighed glancing at the Doctor "Because he did help…" 

"He left you in the vault."

Rose rolled her eyes, before rolling over to face him "I don't want pretty boy" the Doctor snorted in amusement "I want you" she said it quietly, looking in his eyes and allowing him to see the depth of her feelings for him.

The Doctor stared at her silently for a moment before he smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips "I want you, too…" he trailed off "I was so scared, Rose… I thought I'd lost you…"

Rose smiled sadly as she rested her head on his chest "You won't lose me, Doctor"

He smiled bitterly "Your human… I'm a Time Lord. Eventually, I'll lose you."

She wrapped her arms around him "Then make the most of the time we do have together."

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 6 - Alternate Dalek

**Time Can Be Rewritten **

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all that have reviewed so far: **ill-interrogate-the-cat, napsterman23, ThatBigBlueBox, The Eclectic Bookworm, joyce, Hediru, ELLI.1773, TheWriterInAllOfUs, Rylee87 **and **ItsKid.**

I wont be taking the other chapter down but this is an alternate version to the episode Dalek.

A lot of it will be the same as the last chapter until Rose goes to the cage.

This chapter was inspired by a reviewer '**ThatBigBlueBox**' who said Rose wouldn't have pitied the Dalek. I hope this meets your expectations.

OoOoOo

**Dalek**

Rose smiled happily as she leaned against the Doctor, he pressed a kiss to her head as the TARDIS drifted through the time vortex.

It was a week since she had kissed him in Downing Street, and she was so glad she had.

The Doctor jumped up suddenly and moved to the console.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

"Don't know, some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course…" he trailed off as he landed the TARDIS.

She pulled him down for a kiss before they stepped out of the doors. She had longed to be able to do so freely, ever since she first saw her leather Doctor again.

They looked about themselves and Rose couldn't help but shudder as she remembered the Dalek. They scared her the most, out of every alien she had ever faced - though the Cybermen came close.

The Doctor looked at her concerned.

"I'm fine, just this place creeps me out!"

He chuckled "Well that isn't good"

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"You had a bad feeling in Cardiff and then again in Downing Street, and both times there were murderous aliens"

Rose giggled as the Doctor smirks at her.

"So where are we?"

"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."

"And… when are we?" She arched an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"2012"

"God, that's so close, so I should be… 26." She tried not to remember that in the last timeline, she would have been in Pete's world now.

The Doctor flicked a switch and light flooded the building.

"Blimey! It's a great big museum!" Rose gasped looking around.

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby." He started looking around the exhibits "They must've spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite, moon dust… that's the milometer from the Roswell Spaceship."

He named each exhibit as he passed them.

Rose walked up to an exhibit "That's a bit of Slitheen!" The Doctor walked to her side "That's a Slitheen's arm, it's been stuffed."

The Doctor nodded before walking over to the head of the Cybermen "Ah! Look at you!"

"An old friend of yours?" Rose tried not to shiver at the memories of the Cybermen in Pete's world or at Canary Warf.

"An old enemy" He corrected "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."

Rose arched an eyebrow "Is that where the signal's coming from, old man?"

The Doctor glanced at her with amusement "Nah, it's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out. Calling for help."

He placed the tip of his finger on the glass, and immediately they were surrounded by soldiers pointing guns at them whilst an alarm went off.

"You just had to touch" Rose muttered dryly as the Doctor chuckled.

She leant in then to whisper "If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." The Doctor just grinned at the soldiers.

OoOoOo

Rose followed the Doctor into the same room they had been lead to last time.

She watched as Van Statten took the instrument from Adam saying "What does it do?"

She tried not to glare at Adam, he hadn't actually done anything yet.

"Well you see, the tubes on the side must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel…" Adam replied to Van Statten.

"I really wouldn't hold it like that" The Doctor stated with a smile.

"Shut it" The woman, Goddard glared at him.

"Really, though, that's wrong." He continued happily.

Adam looked a bit afraid "Is it dangerous?"

Rose snorted as the Doctor answered "No. Just looks silly."

Rose leaned forward for the instrument. Security readied their guns as she did so, Van Statten stopped them and handed the object to her.

The Doctor smiled at her and informed them "You just need to be, delicate" as she ran her fingers gently over the artefact, which played a note similar to a harmonica.

Everyone looked suitably impressed, whilst the Doctor beamed at Rose as she continued to play it.

Van Statten gasped "It's a musical instrument."

The Doctor nodded "And it's a long way from home."

Van Statten stood "Here, let me." He snatched it off Rose, who arched an eyebrow.

"He said 'delicate'."

Van Statten ignored her as he tried to play it, unsuccessfully just making a series of bleeping noises.

"It needs precision." The Doctor added.

Van Statten touched it more gently and it played a few notes.

The Doctor smiled "Very good. Quite the expert."

"As are you." He raised an eyebrow as he tossed the instrument aside. The Doctor, Rose and Adam all followed it with their eyes, slightly alarmed. "Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor looked at Van Statten with a slightly disdainful look in his eyes "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

Van Statten scoffed "Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

"The question is, how did you get in? 53 floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplice." Van Statten looked at Rose "Quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty."

Rose snapped "She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her 'she'"

Van Statten turned back to the Doctor "She's English too!" He glanced at Adam "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy - got you a girlfriend."

Rose glowered at Van Statten, the Doctor chuckled quietly as he looked at her.

Adam answered the Doctor's question "This is Mr Henry Van Statten."

"Am I supposed to know or care who he is?" Rose asked snarkily, the Doctor sniggered as Van Statten glared at her.

"Mr Van Statten owns the Internet." Adam answered, looking warily at Rose.

"Well, you're obviously mistaking me for someone who gives a damn." The Doctor smirked at Van Statten as the man gaped at her.

"You should probably be a bit nicer to the man who holds your lives in his hands!" Van Statten sneered at Rose.

Rose shrugged "I'll try being nicer, if you'll try being smarter."

The Doctor tried not to laugh as Van Statten just stared at Rose in shock, he clearly wasn't used to having someone sass him.

Rose on the other hand was trying not to say far more… colourful things as she thought about how the Dalek was tortured, and how hundreds of men were killed because of him… because even though she was terrified of Daleks they didn't deserve to be tortured.

"So you're an expert on just about everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor intervened.

"And you claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." Rose smiled at the Doctor fondly.

Van Statten scowled as Rose doesn't comment on the Doctor's 'arrogance' like she had his. "And yet, I captured you" he stated smugly "Right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me." The Doctor shot back.

"The cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?"

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You wanna see it?"

Rose muttered under her breath "That man is cruelly depriving some village of an idiot…" The Doctor chuckled at her obvious dislike of Van Statten.

"Goddard - inform the Cage. We're heading down." Van Statten ordered the woman, who nodded.

Van Statten turned to Adam "You - English. Look after blondie. And you - Doctor with no name… Come and see my pet."

Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm before he walked off "Be careful Doctor… something feels wrong about this place."

He nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead before following Van Statten.

Rose just followed Adam into his workshop.

"Sorry about the mess. Mr Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing. So long as I deliver the goods…" Rose glanced around "What do you think - that is?" Adam handed Rose an object.

"A lump of metal" Rose stated placing it back down.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I think - well, I'm almost certain - it's from the hull of a spacecraft" He informed her confidently "The thing is, it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet - spacecrafts - aliens - visitors to Earth - they really exist."

Rose rolled her eyes as she commented dryly "That's amazing!" She couldn't believe she had let him 'charm' her last time.

"I know it sounds incredible, but I honestly believe that the whole universe is teeming with life."

"I'm gob smacked, yeah. And you what? Sit here and catalogue it?"

"Best job in the world!" Adam boasted.

"Imagine if you could get out there. Travel amongst the stars and see it for real."

Rose watched as a look of pure longing entered Adam's face "Yeah… I'd give anything. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen - not in our lifetimes."

"So how'd you end up here?" She asked as she thought whether or not to give Adam another chance, she didn't want the Doctor to assume she fancied him and distance himself from her but she didn't want to damn Adam when this time she could prevent what happened last time.

Adam smiled proudly "Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit."

"Ah, right, you're a genius."

"Sorry, but yeah… cant help it, I was born clever."

_And arrogant, apparently, _Rose thought rolling her eyes.

Adam continued on "When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defence System - nearly caused World War Three." He chuckled, clearly thinking he was impressing her.

"What, and that's funny?" Rose arched an eyebrow.

Adam replied quickly "Well, you should've been there! Just to see them running about! Fantastic!"

"You sound like the Doctor." Rose said quietly.

"Are you and him…?" Adam trailed off.

Rose smiled softly "I hope so…"

"So you're not actually together then?" Adam continued hesitantly.

"It's complicated." They hadn't actually spoke about it, just kissed.

"Oh." He sounded a little disappointed.

"So… wouldn't you rather be downstairs? I mean, you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Van Statten's got a living creature down there."

"Yeah… yeah well I did ask but he keeps it to himself. Although if you're a genius - it doesn't take long to patch in on the comms system." 

Rose laughed "Let's have a look then."

Adam tapped some keys on his computer and Rose observed over his shoulder.

"It doesn't do much - the alien. It's weird, it's kind of… useless, it's just like this… great big pepper pot."

The screen turned on and they watched as the Dalek screamed as it was being tortured.

Rose couldn't tear her eyes away "It's being tortured! Where's the Doctor?" She half shouted at Adam, before her eyes widened in alarm. If the Doctor saw the Dalek, he wouldn't have helped it - he would have taunted it and if he had taunted it, he would be revealed to Van Statten as an alien.

Rose stared at the Dalek, watching what they did to their living alien.

"I don't know!"

She hadn't thought about it last time, but he had seemed a bit subdued. She'd just assumed it was because of the Dalek and because she'd invited Adam along so she hadn't been that concerned.

"Take me down there. Now." She ordered Adam, her voice cold as her hatred for Van Statten grew as she thought of her Doctor being harmed.

She strode out, Adam leading her to the cage.

"Hold it right there!" A guard commanded.

Adam flashed his ID "Level three access. Special clearance from Mr Van Statten."

They passed him and entered the cage.

Rose stared at the Dalek, she hated them… but this one, this one was almost human after she had touched it and if she didn't do something both the Dalek and her Doctor would continue to be tortured by human monsters.

"Don't get too close…" Adam warned as she approached the Dalek.

Rose rolled her eyes annoyed by Adam.

She approached the Dalek… whatever she did. She wouldn't allow anyone to die this time.

"I know what you are Dalek." She whispered softly. "I hate you, almost as much as the Doctor hates your species. Your kind almost destroyed my world."

The Dalek just watched her silently with it's eyepiece.

Rose turned back around and walked over to the control panel.

Resting on it, she discretely turned up the voltage to the highest possible setting, enough to completely destroy the creature in the armour, as she said gently "My names Rose, Rose Tyler. I have a friend… the Doctor, we can help… are you in pain?" She played the concerned, naïve human for the ignorant ones that surrounded her, the ones that weren't aware of the near indestructible killer in their midst... It wouldn't be fair to call the Dalek a monster after all, the Doctor said they were honest, humans were the ones to watch out for. Especially Van Statten's type.

The Dalek continued to watch her silently, as Adam and the torturer glanced at her curiously.

"Yes." The Dalek finally responded weakly.

Rose's hand found the lever.

"Would you end it, Rose Tyler?" The Dalek questioned, it's eyepiece locked on her face "Would you exterminate me?"

It was trying to get to her, Rose knew that.

But she couldn't stop her heart aching as she thought of all the pain the Dalek's had put her Doctor through.

"Yes…" She whispered back, unheard by anyone but the Dalek "For the Doctor and for the lives of every stupid ape in this building, I will…"

The Dalek lowered it's eyepiece.

Rose pulled the lever and watched as the Dalek screamed for a moment before the top of it blew open.

Rose let out a breath. It was dead… and everyone else was alive.

"What have you done!" The other man yelled at her in disbelief.

OoOoOo

"Your little friend just killed my pet!" Van Statten all but yelled at the Doctor, who stared at Rose wide eyed.

"I saw… I saw you with the Dalek in that room." Rose explains to him "I heard you say it needed to be destroyed… so I did it…"

The Doctor looked at her surprised "You shouldn't have had to."

He had made her a killer because Van Statten hadn't allowed him to destroy it.

Rose then looked around her and stared at Van Statten rage running through her, she could feel the TARDIS hum angrily in her mind at what the stupid ape had done to their Doctor.

"What the hell are you doing to my Doctor?!" She growled out the words, her eyes narrowed dangerously as Van Statten backed away. Even the Doctors eyes widened at the possessive nature of her tone.

Goddard intervened "He's an alien."

Rose turned her glare to the woman "And what? That makes it alright?" Her voice was deceptively calm as she asked the question, only her eyes betrayed her fury.

"W-well…"

"If an alien species tortured every human on Earth would it be okay?"

"Of course not!" The woman sounded outraged.

"Not even if they use the excuse… 'they're alien' because that's what we are to other species!"

Goddard's eyes widened as she realised the purpose of the blondes argument… they were torturing a living being purely because they weren't human.

Goddard backed down as Rose advanced on Van Statten.

She moved back to where the two members of security who had escorted Rose down were stood, tensely.

Van Statten gestured for them to do something, to restrain the woman who was currently threatening him. Goddard motioned them to leave, nodding once at the blonde woman in understanding.

Goddard glanced back at Van Statten in disgust as the extent of what they have done hit her, before she left with the security guards.

"G-get back here! Restrain her!" Van Statten shouted helplessly as he stared fearfully at Rose.

"Let. Him. Go." She emphasised each word as she said them, anger lacing each.

Van Statten rushed to unchain the Doctor.

The Doctor put his jumper and leather jacket back on as Rose glowered at Van Statten with murder in her eyes.

"It's okay, Rose…" The Doctor attempted to calm her down.

"He hurt you, Doctor." Was all she said in response.

The Doctor's face softened and he took her hand gently "Well, we're going… and I'm okay now."

Rose nodded silently, still glowering at Van Statten who was stood meekly against the wall.

Rose let the Doctor lead her out, when she heard Van Statten breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hold on, Doctor."

She walked back into the room and punched Van Statten. Hard.

The man fell back against the wall, clutching his face as he groaned in pain.

"Now we can go…" Rose smiled happily at the Doctor who looked mildly amused.

OoOoOo

Once they were at the TARDIS the Doctor rested his hand on it pensively.

"Little piece of home" He said sadly "Better than nothing."

Rose squeezed his other hand tightly "Is that the end of it? The Time War?"

"I'm the only one left. I win. How about that."

Rose looked at him concerned "The Dalek survived… maybe some of your people did too?"

The Doctor looked at her sadly "I'd know. In here." He gestured to his head "Feels like there's no one."

Rose kissed him "Well then - good thing I'm not going anywhere."

The Doctor smiled at her "Yeah."

They turned to see Adam walking towards them.

"Maybe we could give Adam a little trip… as thanks…" She whispered in the Doctor's ear.

The Doctor looked a bit dejected as he responded "Rose, he's a bit pretty." 

Rose stared up at the Doctor "Trust me Doctor, he's really not my type." she gazed into his eyes and his expression softened a little.

"On your own head." He said finally, before disappearing into the TARDIS.

"We'd better get out. Goddard's closing the base and Van Stat-"

Rose cut Adam off "Yeah, why don't you come in?" she motioned to the TARDIS before entering.

Adam looked bewildered before following her slowly.

The TARDIS dematerialized as Adam looked around in shock "It's bigger on the inside…" he trailed off.

The Doctor glared at him silently, as Rose rolled her eyes.

She felt the TARDIS hum in the back of her mind and her amusement as she told Rose that the Doctor was jealous.

"Rule one in the TARDIS" The Doctor said suddenly causing Adam and Rose to look at him "Hands off the blonde." He finished shortly, before he left to his room.

Rose smiled happily after him.

"Wha-" Adam looked even more confused than before.

Rose grinned "Come on… I'll show you to a room you can use"

She lead him to the first room she could find that was close enough to the console room, so that he wouldn't get lost.

"I'll leave you to get settled then."

Rose left before Adam could speak, heading to the Doctor's room. The TARDIS leading the way.

She knocked quietly on the door, opening it when she heard no answer.

"Doctor?" She asked peeking her head around the door.

He was resting silently on his bed, absent his leather jacket, looking at her curiously.

"Rose?" He questioned as she made no move to speak.

"You okay? You left rather quickly."

"I thought you might want to spend more time with pretty boy."

Rose rolled her eyes as she walked over to him, motioning for him to move over.

He does silently, watching as she lay beside him.

"I told you… he's not my type."

"Well, why'd you invite him then?"

Rose sighed glancing at the Doctor "Because he did help…" 

"How?" The Doctor asked puzzled.

"He showed me down to the cage and what Van Statten was doing…" She trailed off.

Rose rolled her eyes, before rolling over to face him "I don't want pretty boy" the Doctor snorted in amusement "I want you" she said it quietly, looking in his eyes and letting him see the depth of her feeling for him.

The Doctor stared at her silently for a moment before he smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips "I want you, too…" he trailed off.

Rose smiled happily as she rested her head on his chest "I hope this is a sign you're not gonna be following the 'hands off the blonde' rule then, Doctor?" she gave him her tongue in tooth grin.

He chuckled softly, before his expression turned serious "We can't Rose…"

"Why not?" She challenged.

He smiled bitterly "Your human… I'm a Time Lord. Whilst you could spend your life with me… eventually, I'd lose you."

She wrapped her arms around him "Then make the most of the time we do have together."

The Doctor looked at her silently.

"When you do 'lose me' would you rather have happy memories to look back on, or be haunted by what could have been?" Rose asked gently, hoping the Doctor responded the way she hoped and didn't close her out.

"You're right" He finally muttered "But are you sure you want to do this, Rose? Because once I have you… I won't let go." His voice got quieter with each word.

"I love you, my Doctor…" She whispered in his ear, hoping it would convince him.

"… My Rose." He said in response, Rose heard the words he didn't speak from the love in his voice as he spoke her name.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!

If you prefer this to the other one?


	9. Chapter 7 - The Long Game

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

I will be following on from the end of the Alternate Dalek chapter, however I won't be taking the original one down either for those of you who prefer it.

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed this story, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**The Long Game**

Rose was scowling as she entered the console room, where the Doctor was currently making more pointless repairs to the TARDIS.

The Doctor glanced at her "Regretting asking pretty boy along?" he chuckled at the glare she threw his way.

"He treats me like I'm stupid!" She gave a cry of pure frustration as the Doctor just sniggered "You are no help!"

"Don't expect me to be…" He muttered "You were the one who insisted he came."

Rose rolled her eyes as she walked over to him and kissed him.

The Doctor smirked at her, as she pulled away breathless.

Rose pouted. Last time she hadn't really listened to Adam so much, because she was half blinded by her attraction but now she had the only man she would ever want and Adam was driving her crazy with his condescension.

"You never treat me like I'm just a blonde idiot" She looked at the Doctor.

He smiled softly at her "His opinion matters?"

Rose arched an eyebrow "Not really… but it's just so irritating! And I swear he thinks he's impressing me with his 'knowledge'" She grumbled the last part, remembering how last time she had acted impressed.

The Doctor snorted "Your not an idiot, Rose"

She giggled happily, resting her head on his shoulder as he sat beside her.

"So, where do you want to go?"

"The future… definitely the future" She grinned up at the Doctor.

Adam wandered in a moment later "Rose! You disappeared" he exclaimed.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her in amusement as she whispered "I may have left whilst he was explaining something I already knew…"

He snorted before getting up to fly the TARDIS.

When she landed, the Doctor and Rose stepped out first with Adam following behind slowly his mouth was hanging open, awestruck.

"Oh my God" He gasped.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Rose grinned.

"Where are we?"

The Doctor jumped in "It's 200,000, it's a spaceship…" he paused "No, wait a minute, space station, and uh… let's try that gate over there." He motioned to the gate they went through last time.

Rose took the Doctor's hand grinning, as she lead him through the gate as Adam followed behind them.

Rose looked down at the Earth in awe as the Doctor smiled at her. Adam held on to the railings for support as he made his way to her side, gaping at the view.

"This is the fourth great and bountiful human empire. And there it is. Planet Earth at it's height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons - population 96 billion. The hub of a galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species - with mankind right in the middle."

Adam fainted with a girlish sigh as the Doctor finished.

Rose ignored him and kissed the Doctor hard.

"You know, you keep taking me to such amazing places… you've ruined me for other men." Rose joked as she broke the kiss.

Her leather Doctor chuckled "Well, I'm glad because I don't plan on letting you go."

She giggled before kissing him again, softer this time.

They turned to face Adam then "Better wake him up" Rose said with an eye roll.

OoOoOo

"Come on, Adam, Open your mind." The Doctor said as he lead Rose and Adam through the space station with his arms around their shoulders.

Rose tried not to snort at the memory of Adam with his chip type 2 as the Doctor spoke.

"You're gonna like this fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent - culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners-"

A man rudely interrupted them as he shoved past "Out of the way!"

Floor 139 suddenly sprung into life around them, as food stalls were set up all around them.

The Doctor looked bemused as he looked around.

Rose examined the fast food behind the cases and turned to the Doctor "Fine cuisine?"

The Doctor looked a bit wrong-footed as he replied "My watch must be wrong." He checked it "No, it's fine… weird."

Rose teased him "That's what comes of showing off. Your history's not as good as you thought it was." 

The Doctor glanced at her "My history's perfect."

She smirked at him "Well, obviously not…"

He rolled his eyes.

Adam intervened "They're all human. What about the million of planets? The millions of species? Where are they?"

"Good question." The Doctor looked surprised "Actually, that IS a good question." he jovially put an arm around Adam's shoulder as Rose grinned "Adam, me' old mate, you must be starving."

Adam looked at the Doctor "No, I'm just a bit time sick."

Rose snorted.

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub." He looked at a chef "Oi, mate - how much is a kronk burger?"

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now, join the queue."

The Doctor looked around "Money. We need money." He walks over to a cash point, sonic screwdriver ready "Have to use a cash point."

Rose and Adam followed. The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver to the cash point and what looked like a metal strip fell out. The Doctor handed it to Adam.

"There you go - pocket money. Don't spend it all on sweets." He walks away.

Adam examined the metal strip bemused "How does it work?"

The Doctor turned back around "Go and find out! Stop nagging me! The thing is, Adam, time-travel's like visiting Paris. You cant just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers."

Rose laughed, trying to quell her jealousy at the thought of her Doctor kissing someone else.

Adam stared at him, his brow furrowed.

"…or is that just me? Stop asking questions, go on, do it!" He shooed Adam away.

Adam turned and walked into the crowd. "I better go and look after him… don't do anything fun without me and no kissing strangers!" she winked at him, but the Doctor saw a little jealousy in her eyes at the latter part and grinned, nodding.

OoOoOo

Adam was sat at a crowded table as Rose returned.

She offered him a paper cup "Try this. It's called 'zaffic', it's nice. It's like a - um - slush puppy." 

"What flavour?"

"Um…" She tried it "Sort of, beef?"

"Oh, my God…" He whispered looking completely overwhelmed.

Rose giggled as Adam shook his head.

"It's like everything's gone. Home - family - everything."

Rose smiled at him taking out her phone "This helps… the Doctor gave it a bit of a top-up. Who's back home, your mum and dad?"

"Yeah."

She offered him the phone "Phone 'em up."

"But that's one hundred and ninety-eight thousand years ago." He said disbelief coloured his voice.

"Honestly, try it. Go on!"

He took the phone "Is there a code for planet Earth?"

"Just dial!"

Adam dialled and his eyes widened as he reached answer phone "It's on! Hi. It's… it's me. I've sort of gone… travelling. I met these people… and we've gone travelling together. But, um… I'm fine… and I'll call you later. Love you. Bye."

Adam laughed, gleeful, as he hung up "That is just -"

He was cut off by an alarm going off. Everyone started to abandon the canteen and Rose looked around for the Doctor whilst Adam looked lost.

"Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" The Doctor shouted over to them.

Rose beamed and got up, pausing for a moment "Phone please" she said holding her hand out to Adam, who looked a little hesitant as he handed it over.

Rose headed over to the Doctor as Adam followed her quietly.

Suki and Cathica lead the Doctor, Rose and Adam through to a different room where the five of them were joined by several others.

Rose, the Doctor and Adam stood leaning against some railings at the side of the room. Cathica stood by the chair in the middle of the room whilst Suki was sat in place in the circle around the chair, cross legged.

"Now. Everybody behave. We have a management inspection." Cathica turned to the Doctor "How do you want it? By the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks."

As Cathica turned away the Doctor and Rose smirked at each other.

"Okay, so - ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided or robot - my name is Cathica Santini Kadainy. That's Cathica with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please… do…" She smiled at the Doctor who grinned as he gave a non-committal jerk of his head.

"Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased. That's company policy." She turned again to smile at the Doctor who nodded.

"Actually… it's the law" Suki added hesitantly also smiling at the Doctor.

Cathica turned to Suki irritated "Yes, thank you, Suki. Okay, keep it calm… don't show off for the guests… here we go." She lay down in the chair "And… engage safety…"

The staff held their hands out over their hand pads. Each of the eight walls lit up as they did so.

The Doctor, Rose and Adam looked around.

Cathica clicked her fingers, and a door in her forehead opened, revealing her brain.

The Doctor looked mildly disgusted whilst Adam leaned forward slightly trying to get a better look.

Rose looked at the Doctor in alarm.

The staff placed their hands down on the pads and closed their eyes.

"And 3... 2... And spike." Cathica said before a blue light spiked down into her brain from the contraption over the chair.

"Compressed information, streaming into her. Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain IS the computer."

"She couldn't remember all that though?"

"Nah, there's too much, her head would blow up." He began to walk around the room, circling the platform. Rose followed. "The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets."

"So, what about all these people round the edge?"

"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her -" Rose knelt down next to one of them "- and they transmit 600 channels. Every single fact in the empire beams out of this place."

He completed his circuit around the room and leant against the railing again, next to Adam. "Now that's what I call power."

"You alright?" Rose asked Adam as she joined them.

"I can see her brain." Adam responded blankly.

"But this technology… it cant be right can it?" Rose asked the Doctor then.

Adam interrupted "This technology, it's… it's amazing."

The Doctor just stared at Cathica "This technology's wrong."

Rose asked innocently "Trouble?"

The Doctor caught her eye as he grinned "Oh, yeah."

She smiled back when there was a slight shuddering sound, and Suki twitched.

Suki gasped and lifted her hands off the pad as though she had just had an electric shock. The other members of staff were forced to lift their own hands and the lights in the walls turned off as the compressed information stopped pouring into Cathica.

Suki rubbed her hands, breathing heavily.

"Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?" Cathica asked in annoyance.

"Sorry, must've been a glitch…" Suki apologised as Cathica stood up.

A loudspeaker suddenly sounded over the room and a projection sprung to life on the wall. "Promotion."

Cathica started praying "This is it. Come on. God, make it me. Come on, say my name."

The Doctor, Rose and Adam looked at her in concern as she continued.

"Say my name, say my name…"

"Promotion for… Suki Macrae Cantrell."

The words flashed on the projection as Suki's mouth dropped open and Cathica looked gutted.

"Please proceed to Floor 500."

Suki stood up, staring at the projection in shock "I don't believe it… Floor 500..."

Cathica gaped "How the hell did you manage that? I'm above you!"

"I don't know, I just applied on the off-chance… and they've said yes!" She laughed happily.

"That's so not fair, I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

Rose glanced at the Doctor "What's Floor 500?"

"The walls are made of gold."

Rose frowned and rushed over to Suki, touching her arm lightly.

Suki looked at Rose in confusion "Suki, please don't go up there!" Rose warned quietly.

Suki frowned "B-but I-"

Rose cut her off "Something is wrong here, you were the only one to feel that 'glitch' and then… you get promoted isn't that a little strange?"

Suki looked uncertain then.

The Doctor approached them with a frown "Rose?"

"Something's wrong about this, Doctor" She replied softly "It just feels weird."

"How do you mean?" The Doctor questioned.

Rose turned to Cathica "When someone goes to Floor 500, do you see them again?"

Cathica shook her head, no. "Once you go to Floor 500 you never come back."

The Doctor nodded "Perhaps, it might be better if you stay down here."

Suki frowned but agreed hesitantly "O-okay."

Adam wandered out of the room, Rose followed after him.

"Come on, it's not that bad…" She said softly as she caught up to him.

"What, with the… the head thing?"

"Yeah, well she's closed it now!"

Adam looked around "Yeah but… it's everything. It freaks me out. And I just need to… if I could just…" he paused "… cool down. Sort of, acclimatise."

Rose frowned "How d'you mean?"

"Maybe… I could just go and sit on the observation deck? Would that be alright?"

Rose nodded, she had her phone and this time she wouldn't be giving him the TARDIS key.

"Soak it in, you know, pretend I'm a citizen of the year 200,000."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no, you stick with the Doctor. You'd rather be with him. It's gonna take a better man than me to get between you two. Anyway - I'll be on the deck."

He turned to leave.

"Well if it gets to be a bit too much, just wait by the TARDIS"

Adam frowns "Can't I borrow your key?"

"Nope… nobody else is having my key."

"Alright." He hugged her "I'll see you later then." He walked off again.

Rose frowned, he hadn't hugged her last time.

She walked back and saw the Doctor questioning Suki and Cathica from the chair in the middle of the 'spike' room "But you've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?"

Rose walked over and leaned on the back of the chair, he greeted her with a smile as Cathica answered.

"I went to floor 16 when I first arrived, that's medical, that's when I got my head done, and then I - I came straight here. Satellite Five - you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it, that's all." She turned and eyed them suspiciously "You're not management, are you."

"At last! She's clever!" The Doctor responded.

Cathica paused "Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything."

Suki just stared at them silently.

"Don't you even ask?" The Doctor questioned.

"Well, why WOULD I?" She answered incredulous.

"You're a journalist!" Rose said with an arched eyebrow.

The Doctor added "Why's all the crew human?"

Cathica looked at them confused "What's that got to do with anything?"

He rolled his eyes "There's no aliens on board. Why?"

"I don't know - no real reason, they're not banned or anything."

The Doctor looked around the room theatrically. "Then where are they?"

Cathica looked stumped "I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what, with all the threats."

"What threats?" Rose asked.

Cathica looked lost "I don't know… all of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away…"

Rose and the Doctor watched her intently.

"Oh, and the government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see… just… lots of little reasons, that's all."

"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice."

"Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."

"We can see better." Rose grinned as the Doctor includes her "This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!"

"It's backward! There's a great big door in your head! You should've chucked this out years ago."

"So, what do you thinks going on?" Rose looked at her Doctor.

"It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude. It's the way people think. The great and bountiful human empire's stunted. Something's holding it back."

"And how would you know?" Cathica shot back.

"Trust me. Humanity's been set back about 90 years - when did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

Suki replied "91 years ago…" as Cathica looked away thoughtfully.

OoOoOo

Cathica glanced around nervously as the Doctor worked with Rose stood behind him.

"We're SO gonna get in trouble." She went over to the Doctor "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off."

The Doctor scowled "Rose, tell her to button it."

As Cathica opened her mouth to speak, Rose grinned "Button it."

The woman closed her mouth indignantly as the Doctor chuckled.

"You cant just vandalise the place, someone's gonna notice!" She whispered urgently.

Suki just observed the three silently, as the Doctor wrenched the door open.

"This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work." She began to walk away.

"Go on then! See ya!" The Doctor didn't look up from where he was messing around with the mainframe.

Cathica stopped "I cant just leave you can I!"

Rose sighed "If you wanna be useful, get 'em to turn the heating down. It's boiling. What's wrong with this place, cant they do something about it?"

Cathica shrugged "I don't know, we keep asking - something to do with the turbine." 

The Doctor mocked "'Something to do with the turbine'"

"Well, I don't know!"

"Exactly! I give up on you Cathica. Now, Rose - look at Rose." Rose turned around, smiling "Rose is asking the right kind of questions."

"I thank you." 

"Why is it so hot?"

Cathica rolled her eyes "One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!"

"Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important." He then proceeded to accidentally snap a bunch of wires. Cathica looked away exasperated.

When the Doctor managed to successfully hack into the mainframe, he turned the screen to Cathica.

"Here we go - Satellite Five. Pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout." He moved to stand behind her so she could see.

Cathica examined the screen "This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange… and you're looking at pipes?" She looked at him bemused.

"But there's something wrong."

Cathica turned back to the screen "I suppose…"

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked.

Cathica replied "The ventilation system. Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out… channelling massive amounts of heat DOWN." She looked upwards.

"All the way from the top" The Doctor added.

"Floor 500." Rose nodded.

He smiled "Something up there is generating tonnes and tonnes of heat."

Rose gave him her tongue in tooth grin "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party. It's all going on upstairs. Fancy a trip?"

"You can't, you need a key!"

"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here." He gestured to the screen and tapped a few keys. "Here we go - override 215.9"

"How come it's giving you the code?" Suki spoke up for the first time.

The Doctor and Rose glanced upwards at the security camera as the Doctor said softly "Someone up there likes me."

The Doctor lead the three women over to the lift.

He stepped in with Rose and Suki following quickly. Cathica stopped outside.

"Come on, come with us!" Rose said, motioning for Cathica to join them.

"No way!"

"Bye!" The Doctor waved happily.

"Well, don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me!" Cathica stalked off.

The Doctor grinned at Rose taking her hand as Suki slotted a card into the controls.

OoOoOo

As the lift reached Floor 500, the three of them stepped out cautiously.

"The walls are not made of gold." The Doctor stated, looking around before he turned to Rose "You should go back downstairs."

She grinned at him "And let you have all the fun? No chance."

They both turned to look at Suki who was staring around in shock "You two probably saved my life by telling me not to come up here!"

Rose smiled softly before striding onto Floor 500, followed by the Doctor and Suki.

The three of them entered the control room.

The Editor turned to them.

"You brought the liar with you!" He announced happily before turning back to the screens "I started without you. This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but YOU two… you don't exist!" He exclaimed.

When Rose and the Doctor just stared at him, he laughed.

"Not a trace! No birth - no job - not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

Suki looked around the room "What have you done to them!" she demanded calmly.

Rose choked out "They're dead" she grabbed the Doctor's arm tightly, she despised the fact this 'Editor' had willingly killed people for his own gain, she also hated the fact that there wasn't any chance that she could have saved them.

"B-but they're working…" She turned to look at the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor glared at the Editor "They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets."

The Editor laughed gleefully "Ohhh! You're full of information! But it's only fair we get some back because apparently, you're no-one." He laughed as the Doctor nodded "It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter, 'cause we're off. Nice to meet you!" He said sarcastically, before turning to Rose "Come on."

Three of the Drones came up behind them and restrained the two of them, whilst another grabbed Suki.

The Editor persisted "Tell me who you are!"

The Doctor sneered "Since that information's keeping is alive, I'm hardly gonna say am I?"

The Editor smiled "Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"And who's that?"

Rose glanced up "D-doctor?"

He turned to her and followed her gaze.

The Editor chuckled "It may interest you to know that this is NOT the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. It's merely a place where humans happen to live."

The creature spoke angrily.

"Yeah - sorry. It's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client."

"What is that?" Suki asked nervously.

"That is your boss!" The Editor laughed.

"That thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" Rose stared at it.

"That 'thing' - as you put it - is in charge of the human race."

The Doctor and Rose looked at the Editor in alarm.

"For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. Edited by my superior - your master - and humanities guiding light - the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe."

The Jagrafess roared.

"I call him Max."

The Doctor smiled sarcastically and nodded.

OoOoOo

The Drones restrained the Doctor and Rose with manacles whilst they pulled Suki into the middle.

Rose watched on in horror as the Jagrafess killed her before she was put to work.

"Y-you killed her!" She stuttered out in disbelief, she had saved Suki only to have her die again. The Doctor looked at her concerned, whilst she felt the TARDIS mentally hug her.

The Editor continued on, ignoring Rose "If we create a climate of fear… then it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy… invent an enemy… change a vote…"

Rose looked at the Editor in disgust and anger "All the people on Earth are what? Slaves?"

"Well, now. There's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes!" Rose and the Doctor replied in unison.

"Oh," The Editor said disappointed "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? 'Yes'?"

The Doctor glared at him "Yes."

The Editor laughed "You're no fun."

"Let me out of these manacles - you'll find out how much fun I am." The Doctor shot back.

"Oh, he's tough isn't he." He said to Rose "But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit."

"But somebody must have noticed!" Rose pointed out.

The Editor smiled at her "Your little friend, Suki, was a member of Freedom Fifteen. Her real name was Eva - a self declared anarchist"

Rose's eyes widened.

"That's why she was promoted!" He laughed again. "But with the computer system… I can see inside their brain… I can see the smallest doubt - and crush it!"

The Editor continued on as the Doctor and Rose spotted Cathica out of the corner of their eyes. "And then they just carry on, living their life. Strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're SO individual."

He grinned at them "When of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

"What about you? Your human?" Rose shot back.

"Yeah, well simply being human doesn't pay very well." He sneered at her.

"But you cant have done this all on your own!"

"No! I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um… install himself." 

"No wonder, a creature that size." The Doctor added.

Cathica was still hiding as she spotted the Jagrafess on the ceiling, her eyes widened as she saw it.

"What's his life span?"

"Three thousand years."

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it all out of the creature, channel it downstairs - Jagrafess stays cool - stays alive. Satellite Five's one great big life support system."

The Editor laughed "But THAT'S why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown." He clicked his fingers and the manacles sent an electric shock through the Doctor and Rose. "Who are you?"

The Doctor grimaced in pain, indicating Rose he spoke "Leave her alone. I'm the Doctor, she's Rose Tyler, we're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!"

"I just said!"

"Yeah, but who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly -?" The Editor stopped.

Rose closed her eyes, as the Doctor looked at the Editor questioningly.

The Editor smiled "Time Lord." 

"What?" The Doctor looked confused.

"Oh, yes!" He shouted gleefully "The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine. Oh, with his little human girl from long ago…" He touched Rose's face gently, she jerked her head away roughly.

She had been so stupid to give Adam a second chance.

"You don't know what you're talking about" The Doctor said in disbelief.

The Editor smiled smugly "Time travel."

The Doctor tried again "Someone's been telling you lies."

"Young master Adam Mitchell?" He snapped his fingers and a projection of Adam writhing with pain and shouting as compressed information flowed into his head appeared in the air.

"I can see why you call us stupid blundering apes…" Rose muttered sadly as she stared at the projection.

The Doctor glanced at her for a moment "What the hell's he done? What the hell's he gone and done?" Rose could feel the rage radiating off the Doctor as he glared at Adam's projection.

"They're reading his mind. He's telling them everything!"

"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S - TARDIS."

"You'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first!"

The Editor smirked at him "Die all you like. I don't need you. I've got the key." He pulled the key chain roughly from Rose's neck making her wince.

The Doctor looked at her concerned.

"Today, WE are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing."

"And no one's gonna stop you. Because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold."

An alarm went off.

"What's happening?" The Editor asked confused.

"Someone's disengaged the safety." He clicked his fingers and a projection of Cathica with the compressed information flowing into her brain appeared.

"Who's that?!"

"It's Cathica!" Rose beamed at the projection.

"And she's thinking. She's using what she knows!" The Doctor grinned widely.

The Editor turned to Suki's working corpse "Terminate her access."

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five - the pipes - the filters - she's reversing it! Look at that…" He nodded to where the icicles are melting "It's getting hot."

The Editor shouted desperately "I said terminate!" He frantically placed his own hands over Suki's "Burn out her mind!"

They watched Cathica on the projection "Oh, no you don't. You should've promoted me YEARS back!"

All screens suddenly exploded with sparks as the Drones fell lifeless to the floor and Rose's manacles came undone.

The Editor tried to sit the corpses up again.

"She's venting the heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano!" The Doctor laughed as the Jagrafess roared violently.

As the Editor attempted to placate the Jagrafess, Rose picked up her TARDIS key from where the Editor had dropped it and went back over to the Doctor, searching his pocket for the sonic screwdriver before she undoes his own manacles.

As the Doctor was released from the manacles he spoke to the Editor "Oi, mate - wanna bank on a certainty? Massive heat in a massive body. Massive bang!" He grabbed Rose's hand as lumps of flesh started to fall from the Jagrafess "See you in the headlines!" The Doctor shouted over his shoulder as he dragged Rose out of the room.

The Doctor and Rose ran across Floor 500 hand in hand as they avoided huge lumps of snow falling from the ceiling.

They entered the room Cathica was in and the Doctor clicked his fingers, closing the door in her head and smiling down at her.

OoOoOo

The Doctor, Rose and Cathica were sitting at a table in the canteen area as they spoke.

"We're just gonna go. I hate tidying up. Too many questions. You'll manage." He smiled at her.

"You'll have to stay and explain it - no one's gonna believe me."

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things now. The Human Race should accelerate. All back to normal."

Cathica nodded "What about your friend?" She asked eyeing Adam who was loitering by the TARDIS.

The Doctor's voice turned hard "He's not my friend."

"Thanks" Rose smiled at Cathica before following behind the Doctor.

As they reached Adam he held out Rose's phone. "I'm all right now. Much better. I've got your phone."

Rose pushed the Doctor aside, grabbing the phone off Adam before handing it over to the Doctor who looked at her in confusion as he took it.

A resounding smack echoed around floor 139.

Even the Doctor winced as Adam stumbled back clutching his face.

Rose glowered at him as she took her phone back and strode into the TARDIS.

Adam didn't even try to excuse his behaviour as he just gaped after Rose in shock as the Doctor shoved Adam in after her.

The atmosphere in the console room was tense as Adam stood awkwardly to the side, a red hand now imprinted on his face.

Rose sat quietly in the captains chair, whilst the Doctor flew the TARDIS to Adam's house.

When they arrived the Doctor steered Adam out and shoved him roughly away from him. Rose followed them out in silence.

"It's my house! I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" Adam laughed happily.

The Doctor glared at him as he continued "Blimey. I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock."

"Is there something else you want to tell me?" The Doctor asked.

"No. Um… what do you mean?"

The Doctor walked over to the telephone and picked it up. "The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world."

Adam watched helplessly as the Doctor blew it up with his sonic screwdriver.

"That's it, then. See ya." He walked back to the TARDIS doors.

"How do you mean, 'see ya'?" Adam asked.

Rose rolled her eyes "As in 'goodbye'"

Adam glared at her "But… what about me? You cant just go, I've got my head - I've got a chip type two, my head opens."

"What, like this?" The Doctor clicked his fingers, opening Adams head.

Adam clicked his fingers closing it "Don't"

"Don't do what?" He clicked his fingers again.

"Stop it!" Adam closed it again.

"Alright now, Doctor, that's enough. Stop it." Rose intervened.

The Doctor backed down as Adam turned to her "Thank you."

She arched an eyebrow as she clicked her fingers.

"Oi!"

Rose sniggered "Couldn't resist."

Adam closed it again.

"The whole of history could've changed because of you." The Doctor glared.

"I just wanted to help."

"How was stealing my phone to record the archive of Satellite Five, helping?" Rose asked.

"Well, I can see I overestimated your intelligence" Rose quipped as Adam didn't answer.

The Doctor smiled faintly at that as he pointed out "You were helping yourself."

"And - I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am - but you can't just leave me like this." Adam said desperately.

"Why not? We didn't make you get a chip type 2" Rose responded "In fact, I believe the Doctor even said that the technology was wrong."

"As Rose says. And if you show your head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average. Unseen. Good luck." He opened the TARDIS door.

"But I want to come with you!" Adam pleaded.

"I only take the best. I've got Rose."

"How is she better than me?" Adam asked incredulous.

The Doctor glowered at him "She wasn't stupid enough to get a chip type 2 for one" Adam backed away from the Doctor meekly.

The Doctor entered the TARDIS.

Rose was about to follow when Adam pleaded "Rose… take me with you!"

Rose arched an eyebrow at him as if to say 'why the hell should I?', before shutting the door behind her as she entered the TARDIS.

The Doctor worked silently as he flew them away from Adam's home.

Rose watched him quietly from the door.

He eventually broke the silence "Are you gonna stand there all day?"

Rose walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his back "Sorry."

He turned to face her "What are you apologising for?"

"I asked you to bring Adam… I only thought because he helped and he'd mentioned he wanted to see the stars" She paused looking up at the Doctor "I could've gotten us killed."

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her tightly as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's not your fault, Rose. He stole your phone, he got a chip type 2. Not you."

Rose sighed, she looked up at him and pulled his head towards hers kissing him passionately.

OoOoOo

Please review and tell me what you think!

I hope you don't hate me too much for saving Suki and then killing her and I'm sorry if anyone didn't want Adam to come… but I hope you liked how it was resolved.


	10. Chapter 8 - Father's Day

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed this story, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Father's Day**

Rose lay curled into the Doctor's side comfortably as they were sat on a sofa in the library.

Rose knew that this was around the time she had asked the Doctor to take her back to see her dad, last time.

She wanted to see her father again, only this time she wouldn't make the same mistake she had last time. She wouldn't kill the Doctor again.

"Doctor?" She started hesitantly, causing him to look down at her curiously "I was thinking… could we, could we go and see my dad when he was still alive…?" She glanced up at him.

The Doctor frowned "Where's this come from, all of a sudden?"

Rose looked down again "If we cant, if it goes against the laws of time or something, then never mind, we'll just leave it."

"No, I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you."

"I wanna see him." Rose sat up and looked at him.

The Doctor smiled as he stood up "Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for." he lead her into the console room.

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor sat in the back of a small crowd of people as they watched her mum and dad getting married.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline, Angela, Suzette Prentiss…"

Rose smiled as she watched her dad repeat the words "I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne… Suzette… Anita…" Pete looked to the Registrar for help.

Jackie narrowed her eyes slightly "Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di."

The Doctor and Rose both grinned at that and watched the rest of the ceremony.

OoOoOo

Rose looked at the Doctor "My dad… he died alone, my mum always used to say she wished somebody had been there for him." She paused as she stared into the Doctor's eyes "I wanna be that someone. So he doesn't die alone."

The Doctor looked concerned for a moment "November the 7th?"

"1987"

They stepped out of the TARDIS on November the 7th, 1987.

"It's so weird… the day my father died… it's just an ordinary day." Rose glanced at the Doctor sadly.

"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight." He looked down at Rose "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah."

They stood side by side on the curb of a pavement as they waited.

"This is it. Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present - a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase." Rose's voice shook as she tried not to cry.

The Doctor took her hand as a car rounds the corner "He got out of his car…"

The car pulled over.

"… and crossed the roads."

The car stopped.

"Oh, God. This is it."

Pete stepped out of the car, picking up the vase from the passengers seat as another car rounded the corner heading straight for him.

"Hold me, Doctor." She said softly "Otherwise I won't be able to stop myself." 

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him firmly as they watched Pete finally become aware of the car.

Rose buried her head into the Doctor's shoulder, gripping his hand tightly.

She looked up as she heard the vase smash.

She saw her father lying on the road twitching.

Rose ran over to him quickly, falling to the ground beside him as she took his hand gently.

Tears ran down her cheeks as Pete looked at her, taking his last few breaths before his eyes closed.

The driver of the car was just a kid, this time he had gotten out of the car and stood beside it as Rose held Pete's hand.

Rose placed a kiss on Pete's forehead before getting up and walking back to the Doctor.

She took his hand, squeezing hard as they walk back to the TARDIS.

When they arrived at the TARDIS, Rose grabbed the front of his jacket as she cried into his chest. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her silently, knowing how much it hurt to watch a loved one die and not be able to do anything.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!

Sorry the chapter is so short, but in the episode Rose said if she had known she wouldn't have saved Pete so I couldn't really see her doing it this time.


	11. Chapter 9 - The Empty Child

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**The Empty Child**

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked as the Doctor rushed around the console.

"It's mauve" The Doctor replied as the TARDIS shuddered and shook.

Rose smiled faintly "Mauve?"

"The universally recognized colour for danger."

"What happened to red?"

He glanced at her with a smirk "That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing."

Rose giggled at his explanation.

The Doctor then gestured to the object they were following on the monitor "It's got a very basic flight computer - I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS. Where it goes, we go."

Rose smiled at the thought of seeing Jack again, barely keeping the excitement out of her voice as she asked "And how safe is it?"

"Totally."

Part of the console exploded and Rose arched an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, reasonably. Should have said reasonably there."

Rose smiled fondly at him.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks - getting away from us."

"What exactly is this thing?"

"No idea."

"And we're chasing is because…?"

"It's mauve and dangerous. And about 30 seconds from the centre of London."

OoOoOo

When the TARDIS materialised Rose exited, followed by the Doctor.

"Do you know how long we can knock around space without having to bump into Earth?"

Rose teased him "Five days? Or is that just when we're out of milk?"

He rolled his eyes "Of all the species in the universe and it has to come out of a cow."

They started walking away from the TARDIS as the Doctor continued "Must have come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile, anyway. And it cant have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month."

"A month? We were right behind it! Maybe you do need a driving test!" Rose teased him with her tongue in tooth grin.

He crossed his arms defensively "It was jumping time tracks all over the place, we're bound to be a little bit out. Do YOU wanna drive?"

"Would you let me?" Rose asked eagerly.

"No."

She pouted "Then why'd you ask."

He rolled his eyes.

"So… how much is 'a little'?" She got back to the original question.

"A bit."

She smiled at the Doctor "Is that EXACTLY a bit?"

"Ish."

"What's the plan, then? Are you gonna do a scan for alien tech or something?"

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm gonna ask." He showed her the psychic paper.

Rose looked at it "Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids."

"Psychic Paper -"

"Tell me what you want it to tell me, I remember."

"Sorry."

Rose grinned "Not very Spock, is it? Just asking?"

She watched as the Doctor tried to get through a door.

"Door-music-people. What d'you think?"

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech." Rose smirked at him.

The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver to the door.

"Gimme some Spock! For once, would it kill ya?"

He avoided the question "Are you sure about that t-shirt?"

Rose looked down at the Union Jack t-shirt that she was wearing, exactly the same as last time.

She grinned at him "Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin."

The Doctor turned to continue trying to open the door.

"Muuuu-mmy?" Rose heard the same eerie voice of the child that she had last time.

Rose looked up at the roof and saw the gas mask child staring down at them.

"Muuuu-mmy?"

The Doctor managed to open the door "Come on if you're coming. Won't take a minute." He walked into the building.

"Muuuu-mmy?"

Rose ran up the steps that went up the side of the building the child was on quickly.

"Muuuu-mmy?"

The steps didn't go all the way to the roof and she saw the child stood on the edge of the building like last time, so she waited for the rope of the barrage balloon to appear.

She grinned as she grabbed hold of the rope

She climbed it as the child just stood there watching her.

"Mummy…"

Rose panted as she heaved her body up the rope.

"Balloon!"

As the barrage balloon drifted away from the building, she looked around and saw the German planes dropping bombs on London.

Planes zoomed around her as she was suspended above London.

"Oh, Jack really better appreciate this…" She grumbled as she held onto the rope tightly.

There was an explosion below her and Rose lost her grip and fell.

She screamed as she was suddenly caught by a blue beam. She almost grinned as she heard Jack's voice "Okay, okay, I've got you."

"Yeah, I can see that." She shouted back to him, her voice shaking. She may have done this once already, but falling from a barrage balloon was still terrifying even if you knew the outcome.

Jack chuckled "I'm just programming your descent pattern. Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and could you switch off your cell phone?" Rose made a disbelieving noise "No, seriously - it interferes with my instrument."

She rolled her eyes as she switched the phone off "You know, no one ever believes that."

"Thank you. That's much better."

"Oh, yeah, that's a real load off, that is. I'm hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with the Union Jack across my chest, but hey! My mobile phones off!" She shouted back sarcastically.

Jack laughed "Be with you in a moment."

After a few moments Jack continued "Ready for you. Hold tight!"

"To what?!"

"Fair point." She could hear the smirk in his voice as she then zoomed feet first down the tunnel of blue light.

Rose fell into Jacks arms suddenly.

"I've got you!" She stumbled a bit "You're fine, you're just fine. The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little."

Rose smiled "Hello."

Jack raised his eyebrows as he looks her up and down "Hello."

She rolled her eyes as he set her on her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine! Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?"

"Well, you do look a little dizzy…" He smirked as he trailed off.

"What about you? You're not even focused… oh boll-"

Jack laughed as Rose's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back into his arms.

OoOoOo

Rose woke up and looked around her, getting off the bed.

"Better now?" Jack asked from where he was sat in the pilot seat.

Rose smiled at him "You got lights in here?"

He turned them on obligingly "Hello."

She grinned at Jack "Hello." she stepped towards him "So… who are you supposed to be then?"

Jack leaned forwards "Captain Jack Harkness. 133 Squadron Royal Airforce - American Volunteer."

He handed her his psychic paper.

Rose gave him her tongue in tooth grin as she said "Liar." Jack looked at her raising his eyebrows "This is psychic paper. It tells me whatever you want it to tell me."

Jack sat back in his chair "How do you know?"

She smirked at him "I have a friend who uses this all the time."

"Ah."

"And you just handed me a piece of paper telling me you're single and you work out."

He chuckled as he takes it back "Tricky things, psychic paper." 

"Yeah - can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over." She teased him.

He read it "You're sort of in love with a man called the Doctor… disappointing really."

"Yup." She giggled.

Rose arched an eyebrow as she stood "Nice spaceship."

Jack stood as well "Gets me around."

She ran a hand along the ceiling "Very… Spock."

Rose glanced back at him.

Jack stared at her in confusion "Who?"

She rolled her eyes "Not a local boy, then."

He looked at the device on his wrist "A cell phone, a liquid crystal watch, and fabrics that wont be around for at least another two decades… guessing you're not a local girl."

Rose sat in the pilots seat that Jack had vacated "Guessing right."

She winced as she touched something, withdrawing her hands quickly.

"Burn your hands on the rope?"

"Yeah." She glances out of a window "We're in midair… cant people down there see us? Or the German planes?"

"No. Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"

She sat back down and held out her hands towards Jack.

Jack ran his scanner over them "You can stop acting now. I know exactly who you are. I can spot a Time Agent a mile away."

"Really?" She arched an eyebrow, trying not to laugh.

Jack continued "I've been expecting one of you guys to show up. Though, not, I must say, by barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?"

Rose grinned at him "You should try it sometime, it's really… exhilarating."

"Really?" He asked sceptically "So you screaming, fearfully I might add-"

"I resent that!" Rose interrupted, before adding quietly "It wasn't fear…"

Jack chuckled as he took off his scarf and wrapped it around Rose's wrists.

As he finished binding her hands, he switched a button over her head and there was a bleeping sound and what looked like tiny golden fireflies appeared above the wounds on her hands.

"Nanogenes. Sub-atomic robots. The air in here's full of them."

Rose smiled at him "I'm pretty sure you didn't need to tie my hands."

"No, but you look good in bondage."

Rose smirked at him "I'm sure I do."

Jack chuckled and looked back down at her hands which were healed. He turned off the switch and the nanogenes disappeared "They just repaired three layers of your skin."

He untied her wrists.

"We'll get down to business."

"Business?" She had almost forgotten that he was currently a con man and not the man that she had known at the game station, or even Platform One.

Jack held up a bottle of champagne "Shall we have a drink on the balcony?"

He pressed a button and steps to the roof lowered themselves into the spaceship.

"Bring up the glasses." Jack said as he walked up the stairs.

Rose followed him up onto the invisible spaceship, holding a couple of glasses.

"Well, I can definitely say standing on an invisible spaceship is more unnerving than facing Slitheen in Downing Street." Rose muttered staring at her feet.

Jack chuckled, ignoring the remark about Downing Street as he flicked a switch causing the spaceship to appear under their feet.

Rose sighed in relief "You have an invisible spaceship."

"Yeah…" Jack grinned at her.

"Tethered up to Big Ben."

"First rule of active camouflage. Park-"

"Where you'll remember." Rose finished with a laugh.

Jack smirked as he popped the cork out of the champagne bottle with a loud bang, and filled up their glasses.

OoOoOo

Jack and Rose were sitting atop of the spaceship, drinking the champagne when Rose stood up.

"You know, it's getting a bit late. I should really be getting back."

He raised an eyebrow "We're discussing business."

"Of course… never discuss business with a clear head." She winked at Jack, raising her glass as he chuckled.

Jack stood up and walked towards her "Are you travelling alone? Are you authorised to negotiate with me?"

"And what would we be negotiating?"

"I have something for the Time Agency. Something they'd like to buy. Are you in power to make payment?"

Rose tilted her head to the side in thought "I'd have to talk to my…" she paused not quite able to think of a word suitable to describe the Doctor before settling on one "Partner."

"Partner?"

"Yeah, I should really be getting back to him."

"Him?" Jack questioned softly "So is this partner of yours, the Doctor with no name?"

Rose blushed under Jacks gaze as she mumbled something unintelligible.

Jack teased her "So your 'partner' is -" 

"Shut up, Jack" She cut him off, glaring playfully at the man who would become one of her best friends.

He sniggered at her.

"Do you like Glenn Miller?" Jack took a device out of his pocket and pointed it over his shoulder. 'Moonlight Serenade' started to play. He walked back over to her and took her hands "At least allow me this dance, if this Doctor has already stolen your heart." He winked at her.

She giggled as they started to slow dance.

"It's 1941. The height of the London Blitz. The height of the German Bombing Campaign. And something else has fallen on London - a fully equipped Chula Warship. The last one in existence…" Rose rested her head on Jacks shoulder, her heart warming as she listened to the man who was like her brother.

"…armed to the teeth. And I know where it is. Because I parked it."

Rose chuckled.

"If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is gonna fall on it and destroy it forever." Jack pulled away from her and looked at her seriously "That's the deadline. That's the deal. And now, shall we discuss payment?"

"Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"You used to be a Time Agent, now you're some kind of… free lancer?" She said the last words with an arched eyebrow.

Jack grinned "I prefer the term criminal."

"I bet you do!" She teased.

He turned serious again "So, this… Doctor of yours - does he handle the business?"

"Yup!" She nodded happily.

"Maybe we should go find him."

"Scan for alien tech?"

"Yup." Jack grinned at her and began to scan using the device on his wrist.

Rose smirked repeating the words of her younger self "Finally, a PROFESSIONAL."

OoOoOo

Rose followed Jack as they entered the same hospital as last time.

"Hello?" Jack shouted out, the words echoed down the corridor.

"Doctor?" Rose yelled when Jack doesn't get an answer.

"Hello?" Jack repeated.

Rose grinned happily as she saw the Doctor emerge into the corridor.

"Good evening. Hope I'm not interrupting - Jack Harkness." Jack shook the Doctor's hand "I've been hearing all about you on the way over."

The Doctor looked at Rose, confused.

"He knows about us being Time Agents." The Doctor just nodded, bewildered.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Doctor." Jack patted the Doctor heartily on the shoulder before he walked off, leaving the Doctor looking rather bemused.

The Doctor then turned to Rose "Where've you been? We're in the middle of a London Blitz, it's not a good time for a stroll."

Rose started to walk in the direction Jack went in "Who's strolling? I went by barrage balloon. Only way to see an air raid."

The Doctor followed her "What?!"

Rose winked at him "Listen, what's a Chula warship?"

The Doctor stopped "Chula?"

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor watched as Jack scanned one of the bodies.

"This just isn't possible. How could this happen?" Jack looked questioningly at the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned "What kind of Chula ship landed here?"

"What?"

Rose cut in "He said it was a warship. He stole it. Parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's gonna fall on it - unless WE make him an offer."

"What kind of warship?"

Jack looked agitated "Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!"

The Doctor replied angrily "This started at the bomb site. It's got EVERYTHING to do with it. What kind of warship?"

"An ambulance!" Jack turned on his wrist device "Look." A hologram of the warship appeared above the device.

"That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle - love the retro look, by the way, nice panels - threw you the bait -"

"Bait?" Rose questioned.

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."

"You said it was a WAR ship."

"They have ambulances in wars." Jack walked away from them, annoyed "It was a con. I was conning you - that's what I am, I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents but you're not, are you?"

"Nope." Rose smiled.

"Ahh… should've known. The way you guys are blending in with the local colour - I mean Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain?"

They both looked uncomfortably at their clothes whilst Rose muttered "I like this shirt…" which made the Doctor smirk at her.

"Anyway… whatever's happening here has got NOTHING to do with that ship."

Rose looked around at the gas mask zombies "What is happening here, Doctor?"

"Human DNA's being rewritten… by an idiot."

"What d'you mean?"

"I dunno - some kind of virus. It's converting human beings into these things" The Doctor nodded towards the bodies "But why? What's the point?"

The three of them looked at the bodies, when they suddenly sat up all saying 'mummy?' repeatedly.

Rose looked at the Doctor "What's happening?"

The Doctor looked confused "I don't know."

The gas mask people all got out of bed. They approached Rose, Jack and the Doctor.

"Don't let them touch you." The Doctor warned.

"What happens if they touch us?"

"You're looking at it."

They all chanted 'mummy' as they backed the Doctor, Rose and Jack against a wall, Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand silently as the gas mask zombie's encircled the three of them.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think.

Sorry I didn't get a lot of original stuff in there… but that will change with the next chapters.

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter.


	12. Chapter 10 - The Doctor Dances

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

I'm really, really sorry for the late update, but I've been really worried about my enrolment into college and then getting used to the work load and I have not been in the mood for writing so I apologise and will try not to leave it so late again.

I also have a few new ideas for Jack… so hopefully you'll like them when they are revealed.

OoOoOo

**The Doctor Dances **

The gas mask people surrounded Rose, Jack and the Doctor backing them against a wall.

The Doctor stared at them sternly "Go to your room."

The gas mask people hesitated.

"Go to your room!" He repeated.

The gas mask people cocked their heads to one side.

Rose and Jack looked at each other, Jack looked bemused whilst Rose tried to suppress a giggle.

"I mean it! I am very, very angry with you. I am very, VERY cross! Go - to - your - ROOM!"

The Doctor pointed violently in no particular direction and all the gas mask people turned away meekly.

The three of them watched as the gas mask people all climbed back into their beds.

The Doctor sighed with relief as he turned to Jack and Rose "I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words."

Rose snorted as Jack grinned at him.

Jack settled into one of the chairs whilst Rose settled down next to one of the beds "So how was your con supposed to work, exactly?" Rose asked, arching an eyebrow.

The Doctor turned to look at Jack curiously.

Jack looked between Rose and the Doctor "Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space-junk… let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth. Convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put 50% up front - oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for. Never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self cleaning con."

"Yeah. Perfect" The Doctor responded dryly.

"The London Blitz is great for self cleaners - Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." Jack laughed at his own joke.

The Doctor stared at him silently causing his laughter to die away.

"Getting a hint of disapproval."

"Take a look around the room. This is what your 'harmless piece of space junk' did."

"It was a burnt out medical transporter - it was empty!" Jack argued back.

The Doctor looked at him darkly before walking off.

"Rose." He said her name softly and she followed behind him.

"Where are we going?" She asked catching up to him and taking his hand.

"We're going upstairs."

Jack called after them "I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living - I harmed no-one! I don't know what's happening here, but believe me - I had nothing to do with it!"

The Doctor stopped and turned to look at Jack "I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

They heard a siren go off in the distance.

"What's that?" Rose asked looking at Jack.

"The all-clear."

The Doctor glared at Jack "I wish."

He left the ward, and Rose and Jack followed him.

The Doctor took off running down the corridor.

Rose and Jack chased after him.

"Doctor?" Jack called as they lost sight of him.

"Doctor?" Rose shouted when Jack got no reply.

They dashed past a flight of stairs when the Doctor popped his head around a banister.

"Have you got a blaster?"

Rose and Jack skidded to a halt and ran back to the stairs.

Jack grinned "Sure!"

They ran up the stairs and stood outside a door.

"The night your space junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken."

"What happened?" Rose frowned.

"Let's find out." He grinned at her before turning to Jack "Get it open."

Jack grinned at them both and pointed a blaster at the door. The Doctor stood back beside Rose.

"Something wrong with the sonic?" Rose whispered quietly, leaning into the Doctor.

"Nope."

Jack's blaster cut a perfect square hole around the lock of the door and it squeaked open.

"Sonic blaster, 51st century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?"

"You've been to the factories?" Jack questioned curiously.

The Doctor took the blaster from Jack for a look "Once."

"Well, they're gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot."

The Doctor handed the blaster back "Like I said - once. There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

Rose giggled as the Doctor smiled pleasantly at Jack before he entered the room.

Rose turned to Jack "Nice blast pattern."

He smirked at her "Digital."

"Squareness gun."

"Yeah." 

"I like it." She winked at him playfully, she had always flirted with Jack in the previous timeline and she hoped it wouldn't change especially when she told him the truth.

She walked into the room as Jack laughed, following behind her.

The Doctor switched a light on and the three of them looked around the room which looks vandalised with a broken window and stuff all over the floor.

"What d'you think?" The Doctor asked.

"SOMETHING got out of here…" Jack spoke up, looking around the room warily.

"Yeah. And?" The Doctor pressed with a pointed look at Jack.

"Something powerful. Angry."

The Doctor nodded "Powerful and angry."

Jack entered a room off the side, the floors and walls were covered with a child's drawings with a few toys on the floor and a little bed in the corner.

Jack turned to face the Doctor and Rose "A child?" His tone was incredulous before he continued "I suppose this explains 'mummy'."

"How could a child do this?" Rose questioned suddenly, she couldn't make the Doctor suspicious of her by bringing up the nanogenes besides as the Doctor had said everybody lived this time.

The Doctor played a tape of Doctor Constantine talking to the Child.

"Do you know where you are?" They heard the old mans voice ring out.

"Are you my mummy?"

"Are you aware of what's around you? Can you… see?"

"Are you my mummy?"

"What do you want? Do you know-"

"I want my mummy. Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy?"

Rose felt her heart ache for the Child as she looked around and saw all of the drawings were of the Childs mother.

"Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?"

Rose looked at the Doctor "I've heard this voice before."

"Me too." He replied softly staring at her.

"Mummy?"

"Always asking 'are you my mummy?' Like he doesn't know."

"Mummy?"

"Why doesn't he know?"

"Are you there, mummy? Mummy?"

Rose listened as the reels of the tape spun.

"Mummy? Please, mummy? Mummy?"

She remembered how panicked she'd been last time she had been here, in this room.

"Doctor?" She heard Jack's voice ask.

"Can you sense it?" The Doctor responded pacing around the small room.

"Sense what?" Jack's voice is laced with confusion.

"Coming out of the walls, can you feel it?"

The tape reel continued to spin in the background.

"Mummy?"

The Doctor spun around to look at Jack and Rose.

"Funny little human brains, how do you get around in those things?" He started pacing again.

Rose turned to Jack "When he's stressed, he likes to insult species."

"Rose, I'm thinking."

She rolled her eyes "Cuts himself shaving, does half an hour on life forms he's cleverer than…"

"There are these children living rough around the bomb site. They come out during air raids looking for food."

"Mummy, please?"

"Suppose they were there when this thing - whatever it was - landed?" He looked at Jack.

"It was a med-ship. It was harmless."

"Yes, you keep saying." The Doctor responded curtly "'Harmless'. Suppose one of them was affected - altered?"

"Altered how?" Rose questioned.

"I'm here!" The Childs voice echoed out.

"It's afraid. Terribly afraid, and powerful. It doesn't know it yet, but it will do." The Doctor laughed mirthlessly "It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to its room."

A loud crackling noise filled the room.

"Doctor…" Rose said breathlessly.

"I'm here. Cant you see me?" The Child's voice filled the room over the crackling noise.

Rose looked at the Doctor "End of the tape…"

The Doctor nodded "It ran out about 30 seconds ago." 

"I'm here, now. Cant you see me?"

"I sent it to it's room. THIS is its room." He spun around and the three of them saw the Child stood by the tape machine.

The Child stared at them "Are you my mummy?" It cocked its head to one side, staring at Rose "Mummy?"

"Doctor?" Rose asked softly.

"Okay…" Jack stepped forward "On my signal… make for the door. NOW!" He violently produced a banana and pointed it threateningly at the Child.

Rose sniggered at the look on Jacks face as the Doctor grinned and took out Jack's sonic blaster and blasted a square hole in the wall.

"Go! Now!" He shouted as the three of them made for the newly created 'door' before he added "Don't drop the banana!"

Jack hopped through the wall after the Doctor and Rose "Why not?!"

"Good source of potassium!" Rose snorted at the Doctor's response.

The three of them stood in the corridor as the Child approached them from inside the room.

"Give me that!" Jack snapped as he grabbed his sonic blaster back off the Doctor.

"Are you my mummy?"

Jack pointed the blaster at the wall, and it rebuilt itself, blocking the Child out.

"Digital rewind." Jack tossed the banana back to the Doctor "Nice switch."

The Doctor grinned "It's from the Groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate."

"There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villengard and you did that?"

The Doctor replied simply "Bananas are good."

"And you apparently keep them in your pockets…" Rose muttered with an arched eyebrow.

Jack snorted as the Doctor merely shrugged happily.

They were broken out of their conversation by the Child thumping the wall from the other side, cracking it.

"Doctor!"

"Come on!" The Doctor lead Jack and Rose down a short flight of stairs and down another corridor, before they encountered all the patients bursting out of the ward chanting 'mummy'.

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand as the three of them backtrack, before they found the gas mask patients coming from that direction too. The Doctor pulled Rose close to him, protectively as they found themselves back at the point they started, where the Child was breaking through the wall.

"It's keeping us here so it can get at us." The Doctor stated staring at the cracking wall.

Jack pointed the blaster in both directions where the gas mask people were coming from "It's controlling them?"

"It IS them. It's every living thing in this hospital."

"Okay." Jack said "This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, what you got?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver as Jack brandished his sonic blaster at the gasmask people on one side, the Doctor facing the others.

"A sonic, er…" He paused glancing down at his screwdriver "Oh, never mind."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jack pressed him.

The Doctor switched on his sonic screwdriver.

"It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that."

Jack continued "Disrupter? Cannon? What?"

The Doctor's voice rose in irritation "It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am sonic-ed up!"

"A sonic WHAT?"

The Doctor turned around to face Rose and Jack as he snapped "SCREWDRIVER!"

Jack spun around incredulously.

At that moment, the Child managed to punch through the wall. He began to climb through.

Rose grabbed onto Jack's wrist and made him point the blaster at the floor.

"Going down!" She warned as she blasted a hole in the floor.

The three of them fell in a heap on the floor of the ward below.

Jack hurriedly activated the digital rewind, closing the hole so they couldn't be followed.

"You okay, Doctor?" She asked helping him up.

"Could've used a warning…!" He replied.

Rose snorted "Ugh, the gratitude."

Jack started speaking as Rose checked for the light switch.

"Who has a sonic screwdriver?" His tone was disbelieving.

The Doctor replied defensively "I do!"

Rose looked around "Light!"

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'oohoo, this could be a little more sonic'?" Jack asked, still incredulous.

He responded indignantly "What, you've never been bored?"

"Boys and their toys…" Rose muttered as she felt around for the switch.

Both the men ignored her as the Doctor continued "Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?"

Rose finally felt the switch and prepared herself to run as she turned the lights on, and as if on cue all the gas mask patients lying in the beds sat up and started calling 'mummy'.

"Door." Jack said, stepping back to allow the Doctor to use his sonic screwdriver.

He whacked the sonic blaster angrily "It's the special features, they really drain the battery."

"The battery?" Rose arched an eyebrow, smirking "That's so LAME."

The Doctor opened the door and they dashed through it, he slammed the door shut behind them and locked it with his sonic screwdriver.

Jack ran to the window as he responded "I was gonna send for another one, but SOMEBODY'S gonna blow up the factory." He glared at the Doctor.

Rose sniggered "Oh, I know - first day I met him, he blew my job up. That's practically how he communicates."

Jack chuckled.

The Doctor ignored them both "Okay, that door should hold it off for a bit."

"The door?!" Jack half-shouted incredulously "The WALL didn't stop it!"

"Well, it's gotta FIND us first! Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!"

Jack replied sarcastically "Well, I've got a banana, and at a pinch you could put up some shelves."

The Doctor walked over to the window "Window-"

"Barred, sheer drop outside. Seven stories."

"And no other exits." Rose added.

Jack settled into a chair "Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?"

The Doctor eyed Jack for a moment, before looking at Rose.

"So, where'd you pick this one up, then?"

Rose smiled "You make him sound like a stray…"

Jack cut in "She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a CHANCE." 

Rose smirked.

The Doctor turned back to the window "Okay, one, we want to get out of here. Two, we CAN'T get out of here. Have I missed anything?"

"Jack's disappeared." Rose said.

The Doctor spun around and saw Jack's empty chair.

He rolled his eyes before he sat down, making a point not to look at Rose.

Rose smiled softly, sitting on his lap he glanced at her "Jack's really not my type, Doctor…"

"Hmm" He looked away from her.

She rolled her eyes pressing her lips to the Doctor's firmly "Besides, I have a feeling you're just as much Jack's type as I am…"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"We spoke on top of his spaceship… he's gotten to know one of the soldiers quite well, though knowing the Captain they'll be more than one of 'em" Rose chuckled.

The Doctor smirked for a moment before kissing her passionately, wrapping his arms around her possessively.

Jack's voice broke the moment "Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me?"

They stood up and hurried to the radio, the Doctor picked it up.

"I'm back on my ship." He informed them "Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you."

The Doctor, in confusion, held the wires that have been ripped out of the radio.

"It's security keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it - hang in there."

"How're you speaking to us?" The Doctor asked confused.

"Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grille."

"Now there's a coincidence."

"What is?" Confusion laced Jack's voice.

"The Child can Om-Com too."

"It can?"

The Doctor nodded "Anything with a speaker grille. Even the TARDIS phone."

Rose looked at the Doctor "You mean the child can phone us?"

They heard a sing song voice through the radio as the Child responded "And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to fiiiiiind you."

"Doctor, can you hear that?" Jack spoke over the Child.

"Loud and clear."

"I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do."

"Coming to find you, mummy!" The haunting voice of the Child repeated.

"Remember this one, Rose?" Jack asked as Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade' played through the radio.

Rose chuckled as the Doctor raised his eyebrows questioning.

"Our song…"

"Of course." The Doctor responded curtly.

Rose rolled her eyes "Oh, don't be like that Doctor… I told him 'bout me and you before we danced."

The Doctor seemed to relax a little then as he continued to 'resonate concrete' which Rose still didn't believe he was actually doing.

She sat down in a wheelchair and shuffled around a little, bored.

"So… you gonna explain what you're doin' or am I gonna have to guess?" Rose asked.

The Doctor glances at her for a moment "Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete."

"And in English?" She teased.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "I'm trying to loosen the bars."

"Ah." Rose stood up and walked over to the Doctor "You don't think he's coming back."

"Wouldn't bet my life." He didn't look at her.

"Why don't you trust him?"

"Why do you?" He countered, like last time.

"He saved my life…" Rose hesitated "And I feel… that behind the façade of a con man, he is a good man… that he's like you…" She added the last part in a whisper, looking away from the Doctor as she remembered her Jack, from the last timeline, the one she would have to condemn to an eternal hell all over again.

The Doctor stared at her "Fine… if you feel he can be trusted, I'll give him a chance" he stepped down from the wall and approached her.

Rose was almost gaping in shock at the fact the Doctor was actually listening to her.

He frowned "No need to be so shocked."

She sniggered, knowing that if he had been her pinstriped Doctor he would have been pouting.

The Doctor then gained an odd look on his face.

"Doctor?" Rose asked softly.

"Barrage balloon?"

"Gonna need a little more than that to go on…"

He rolled his eyes "You were hanging from a barrage balloon."

Rose grinned "Yup. 'Bout two minutes after you left me, thousands of feet above London - middle of a German air raid - Union Jack ALL over my chest."

"An you're happy about that?"

"It was kinda fun… when I realized I wasn't going to die" She added.

The Doctor snorted "I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy-friendly."

He started examining her hands.

"Jack fixed me up, if that's what you're looking for…"

"Of course he did." She saw some of his jealousy returning.

Rose rolled her eyes and stepped forward to kiss him passionately, grabbing the front of his leather jacket in her hands.

"Well, not that I'm not enjoying the show… but most people notice when they've been teleported." 

Rose pulled away from the Doctor, giggling as she heard Jack's voice whilst the Doctor's ears went red as he looked anywhere but the two of them.

Jack winked at her "Sorry about the delay. I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security."

"You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols? Maybe you should remember whose ship it is." The Doctor shot back derisively.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I do." Jack smirked at the Doctor "She was GORGEOUS."

Rose grinned at him as the Doctor glowered at the Captain.

"Like I told her - be back in five minutes." Jack ducked into a compartment underneath the console.

"Doctor, you promised to play nice." Rose hissed at him when Jack disappeared from sight.

He held his hands up "Fine, fine." The Doctor looked around "This is a Chula ship."

Jack called up from underneath the console "Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only this one IS dangerous."

The Doctor snapped his fingers and his hand is surrounded by the golden nanogenes.

"They're what fixed my hand up! Jack called 'em nano-nanogenes!"

The Doctor nodded "Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed - all better now. They activate when the bulk heads sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws." He banished the nanogenes with a wave of his hand and turned to Jack whilst Rose beamed.

"Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk."

Jack rolled his eyes "As soon as I get the nav-com back online." The Doctor glared at him, annoyed as Jack continued "Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with what it was that you were… doing." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Rose snorted "And give you a free show?"

"Well, if you're offering…"

The Doctor glared at Jack "Hands off the blonde."

"Oh, I'm more than happy to just watch."

Rose sniggered as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

OoOoOo

Rose sat next to Jack as he rambled on about the Time Agency, whilst the Doctor glared silently at Jack.

She tilted her head, curiously "So, you used to be a Time Agent - now your trying to con them?"

Jack fiddled with the controls as he glanced at her "If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money."

"For what?" Rose leaned forward.

"Woke up one day when I was working for them - found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back." He stated bluntly.

Rose frowned, she always had wondered what the memories were "Do you think you'll be able to get them back?"

Jack shrugged "No idea… I hope so, two years of my life and I have no idea what I did…"

"Two years can be a long time…" Rose said softly, thinking of her time with pinstripes and leather… _but it can be no time at all _she thought sadly, knowing how short the time truly was to the Doctor.

She shook herself out of it, she couldn't think of the past. Not when she was rewriting it… not when she could fix things, make Jack happier and stay with her Doctor for as long as he'd have her.

"Yeah…" Jacks voice brought her back to the present.

Rose stared at him as he nodded towards the Doctor "Your friend over there doesn't trust me. And for all I know… he's right not to."

Rose shook her head "I trust you Jack."

He frowned at her.

She leant over and took his hand "You are a good man… no matter what you may have done in the past, I mean you saved my life! It's the decisions you make now that count, not in the two years you cant even remember!"

Both Jack and the Doctor looked at her in shock.

The computer bleeped.

Jack jumped at the sound and pulled his hand from Rose's "Okay, we're good to go."

The Doctor threw Rose an odd look before he faced Jack "Crash site?"

Jack lead them over to the rail station near the bomb site when they arrived.

"There it is." He pointed to something, before his voice lightens up "They've got Algy on duty. Must be important."

The Doctor frowned "We've gotta get past."

"The words 'distract the guard' are heading in your direction Jack." Rose arched an eyebrow.

Jack grinned at her "It would be my absolute pleasure." He walked over to Algy as he shouts over his shoulder "Don't wait up!"

Rose grinned back at him "So many species so little time."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Hey, tiger! How's it hanging?" Jack greeted the soldier.

Algy turned to Jack.

"Oh, no!" Rose whispered, remembering suddenly that Algy was infected. The Doctor looked at her in concern.

She shouted "Jack don't touch him!"

Jack turned to look at her as Algy asked "Mummy?"

Rose sprinted over to Jack and pulled him back, the Doctor close behind "He's infected…"

Jack looked between the Doctor and Rose, before turning back to Algy "Algy, old sport, it's me."

"Mummy?" Algy asked, stepping forward.

Jack's smile faded "It's me, Jack."

"Jack?" He cocked his head to one side as he observed Jack with child-like curiosity "Are you my… mummy?"

Rose pulled Jack back once again as Algy coughed, falling to his knees as his face transformed into a gasmask.

Other soldiers were starting to hurry over "Stay back!" the Doctor yelled at them, they ignored him.

Jack was still staring horror-struck at his lover.

"Jack, get them away…" Rose hissed at him, once she realised he hadn't moved.

Jack moved his gaze to her before looking towards the other soldiers "You men! Stay away!"

"It's becoming airborne. Accelerating." The Doctor stared at Algy.

The air-raid siren sounded.

Jack looked up "Ah, here they come again."

Rose looked around as she heard Nancy singing.

Jack and the Doctor spoke about a bomb and the end of the world.

"Can you hear singing?" She asked, neither man acknowledged her.

She wandered over to the tent she remembered Nancy being in.

"Rose?" She heard the Doctor yell.

"Over 'ere!" Rose shouted back, Jack and the Doctor made their way over to her as she entered the tent.

Nancy looked at Rose sharply as she entered, but kept singing.

The Doctor came in behind her and Rose walked over to him, putting her hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out his sonic as she unlocked Nancy's handcuffs.

The Doctor stared at her slightly shocked as Nancy and Jack smirked at his bewildered expression.

Rose blew him a kiss before she motioned for him and Jack to stop blocking the exit.

Jack sniggered as Rose put the screwdriver back into the Doctor's pocket with a whispered "Thanks."

He shook his head, amused by the strange human girl who had worked her way into his hearts.

Nancy watched them both warily "So this is the blonde you were askin' about." she said looking at Rose.

"Yup." The Doctor answered simply.

"You were askin' about me?" Rose asked.

"You were missing!" He responded defensively.

"Aww!" Rose glanced at Jack.

Jack smirked "He's adorable."

The Doctor glared at them both silently as they sniggered.

They walked back to the bomb site, and the Doctor, Jack and Rose uncovered the med ship.

"You see? Just an ambulance." Jack defended.

"That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked incredulously.

"Yup!" Rose grinned at her "From another world."

Nancy stareed at the med ship silently.

"They've been trying to get in." Jack said looking at the controls.

"Of course they have!" The Doctor replied like Jack's stupid.

Jack began to enter the code, ignoring the Doctor.

"They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon. What're you doing?"

Jack glanced at him "Well the sooner you see this thing is empty, the sooner you'll see I had nothing to do with it."

The controls exploded with sparks and they all jumped backwards as an alarm went off.

"Didn't happen last time." Jack muttered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "It hadn't crashed last time. They're they emergency protocols."

A red light on the control panel flashed.

The Doctor started yelling out orders for them all, throwing Rose his sonic.

Rose sighed, pulling Nancy along with her to fix the barbed wire. She couldn't tell the Doctor how to fix it because she shouldn't know about what nanogenes do… and she shouldn't know about anything alien that the Doctor hasn't told her about yet.

She couldn't wait to get Canary Warf out of the way so she could tell the Doctor the truth… about everything.

Maybe she could even convince her mum and Pete to live in this world, after all her mum had never been to the parallel world and Pete could hold on like her and the Doctor… or live in the TARDIS until the void was sealed.

Rose sighed, she knew Pete wouldn't abandon his world for the daughter of an alternate Pete and she couldn't bring herself to ruin her mum's future happiness with other Pete.

She was brought back to the present by Nancy questioning her "Who are you? Who are any of you?"

"We're time travellers from the future."

Nancy just stared at her in disbelief "Mad, you are!"

Rose faced her "We have a time travelling machine!"

Nancy chuckled at that "It's not that. All right - you've got a time travelling machine. I believe ya. Believe anything, me." She looked up at the sky "But what future?"

Rose looked at Nancy sadly "This isn't the end, you know"

"How can you say that? Look at it."

Rose smiled "You just said that you believe I'm a time traveller, how can that be true if there's no future." 

That stopped Nancy.

"I was born here, in this city… in like 50 years time."

"From here?"

"I'm a Londoner. From your future."

"But… but you're not…"

"What?"

"German."

Rose grinned "Nope, they don't win." Nancy furrows her brow "YOU win."

Hope entered Nancy's expression "We win?"

Rose nodded happily "Besides no German would wear the Union Jack across their chest." She joked making Nancy to laugh.

"Come on." Rose held out her hand to Nancy and pulled her back to the Doctor and Jack.

They saw Jack on top of the med ship, speaking to the Doctor as they approached.

"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops? Rose?" The Doctor turned to her expectantly.

"You expect me in a Chula medical transporter?"

Jack snorted as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

Rose chuckled at the Doctor's expression "I dunno… nanogenes?"

The Doctor grinned at her "It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."

Jack got it then "Oh, God."

"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night and wearing a gasmask."

"They can bring things to life?" Nancy asked.

"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogenes. One problem, though - these nanogenes - they're not like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like."

"So they go off the dead child." Rose added softly.

The Doctor nodded "And there's not a lot left to go on. But they carry on -"

"And fix him up the best they can, and go to fix up every other human who doesn't match the Child."

"Yup and now NOTHING in the world can stop that Child!"

Jack looked shaken as he whispered "I didn't know."

The Doctor stared at him coldly for a few seconds before examining the med ship.

"Rose?" Nancy asked, scared.

Rose went to Nancy's side and saw the gas mask people approaching, still chanting the same word 'mummy' over and over.

"Doctor?"

He turned to her.

"What if… what if the Child found it's mother? I mean you said nothing can stop it, but what if it found what it was looking for?"

"Rose, that's brilliant!" He frowned then "Only we don't know the mother…"

"A-actually, you do" Nancy stuttered softly "His names Jamie, I told him I was his sister…" she sobbed the last part, the grief of her son's death and then what he'd become finally creeping up on her.

Rose wrapped her arms around the distraught girl.

"It's alright." Rose comforted her before turning to Jack "How long before the bomb?" She mouthed.

"Any second."

"What's the matter, Captain? Bit close to the volcano for you?" The Doctor asked snidely, Rose had forgotten how much the Doctor had disliked Jack at first.

"Doctor!" Rose looked at him annoyed "Not the time!"

He sighed.

"We've got seconds…" Jack's voice was panicked.

"What about your teleport?"

"Not you guys. The nav-com's back online. Gonna take too long to override the protocols."

Rose smiled warmly at Jack as she pulled her arms from around Nancy who was getting herself under control.

"Do what you've got to." Rose said softly as she hugged him calmly "I'm glad I met you, anyway."

Jack stared at Rose his face softening at her words before he looked at her apologetically and teleported out.

The Doctor and Nancy were both staring at her in shock.

"I have a feeling you might end up liking him, Doctor" Rose shrugged.

"Are you my mummy?" They heard the Child ask as the gates swung open.

"Nancy, he's going to keep asking. You've got to tell him." Rose said softly.

"Nancy… the future of the human race is in your hands, Rose's future."

Nancy sniffed, tearfully before she approached the Child.

"Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy?" The Child repeated as Nancy got closer.

Rose took the Doctor's hand in hers.

"Yes." They heard Nancy whisper, before her voice got stronger "Yes. I AM your mummy."

The Child walked towards her "Mummy?"

"I'm here."

"Are you my mummy?"

Nancy knelt in front of him "I'm here."

"Are you my mummy?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't understand. There's not enough of him left." The Doctor whispered sadly.

"I am your mummy." Nancy's tearful voice carried over to them "I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry."

She took her little boy into her arms, hugging him tightly as nanogenes surrounded them.

"I am so, so sorry."

The Doctor's face lit up with hope "Come on, please. Come on, you CLEVER little nanogenes - figure it out! The mother. She's the mother! There's gotta be enough information, figure it out!"

Rose grinned up at the Doctor as he continued "The nanogenes are recognizing the same DNA."

Nancy fell away from Jamie as the nanogenes disappeared. The Doctor and Rose rushed over.

"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one." He reached out to the gas mask and removed it, revealing the face of Nancy's little boy.

Nancy stared in delighted wonder as the Doctor lifted the little boy into the air and swung him around "Ah-ha-ha! Welcome back! Twenty years 'till pop music - you're gonna love it."

"What happened?" Nancy asked awestruck.

"The nanogenes recognized the superior information - the parent DNA. They didn't change YOU because YOU changed them! Haha!" He plonked Jamie down in front of her "Mother knows best!"

Nancy threw her arms around the child, almost crying with happiness "Jamie…!"

A bomb landed nearby.

Nancy and Jamie both jumped and looked to the Doctor and Rose.

A bomb plummeted towards them before it was snatched out of the air by a blue force field. Suddenly Jack appeared hovering above the bomb and called down the them "Doctor!"

Rose grinned up at him.

"Good lad!" The Doctor responded.

"The bombs already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis but it wont last long."

"Change of plan - don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it? Safely as you can?"

Jack nodded "Rose?"

"Yeah?" She beamed up at him.

"Goodbye." He whispered sadly.

He disappeared.

Rose just stared at where he had been, and sure enough he reappeared.

"By the way - love the t-shirt!" He winked at her, before leaving with his ship and the bomb.

The Doctor moved away and summoned the nanogenes.

"What're you doing?"

"Software patch. Gonna email the upgrade." He threw the nanogenes away from him, towards the gas mask people and watched ecstatically as they fell to the floor, nanogenes surrounding them.

"Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once. Everybody lives!"

Rose was surprised when the Doctor grabbed her and kissed her with ardour, but responded happily to him wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands rested on her waist.

As they heard the gas mask people standing up, the Doctor broke the kiss grinning wildly at Rose before he bounded over to Doctor Constantine.

Rose stared after him breathlessly.

"Doctor Constantine. Who never left his patients. Back on your feet, constant doctor! World doesn't wanna get by without you just yet, and I don't blame it one bit." He gestured to the former gas mask people milling about "These are your patients. All better, now!"

Doctor Constantine looked completely baffled as he stared around himself "Yes, yes… so it seems. They also seem to be standing around in a disused railway station. Is there any particular reason for that?"

The Doctor beamed at him "Yeah, well, you know - cutbacks. Listen, whatever was wrong with them in the past, you're probably gonna find that they're cured. Just tell them what a great doctor you are. Don't make a big thing of it. Okay?"

The Doctor rushed back over to Rose as an old lady hobbled over to Doctor Constantine.

He climbed on top of the Chula med ship and called back over to the cured people "Right, you lot! Lots to do! Beat the Germans, save the world - don't forget the Welfare State!"

Doctor Constantine smiled at them both and along with the nurses began to direct his patients away from the bombsite.

The Doctor bends down to the control panel "Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?"

Rose grinned at him, her tongue poking through between her teeth "Usually the first in line." 

The Doctor grinned at her.

OoOoOo

The Doctor was still chatting away happily as they entered the TARDIS.

"The nanogenes will clean up the mess and switch themselves off - because I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help - ditto - all in all, all things considered - fantastic!"

"Look at you!" Rose teased "Beaming away like you're Father Christmas!"

The Doctor smirked at her "Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve?"

"What?"

He grinned at her "And everybody lives, Rose!" he stretched his arms wide "Everybody lives!" he pinged a switch on the console "I need more days like this."

"Doctor…"

"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire!"

"What about Jack?"

The Doctor's smile faded.

"He said goodbye and I… he saved my life Doctor… he saved us" Rose pleaded softly.

The Doctor nodded quietly "Okay, if that's what you want."

Rose frowned and pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his.

"Thank you… I feel Jack's gonna be important in the future…" Rose said vaguely.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "Like you 'felt' with Suki and Gwyneth?"

"Yeah…"

The Doctor grinned at her "Well then, we better get moving then!"

Rose beamed at him.

OoOoOo

Once the TARDIS has materialised Rose opened the doors and saw Jack on his chair, completely unaware of them.

"Oi!" She shouted causing him to spin around "Hurry up, pretty boy!" She winked at him.

Jack grinned at her, and the Doctor who was leaning against the console.

He leapt to his feet and dashed into the TARDIS. Jack shut the doors behind him and looked around in awe.

The Doctor chuckled "Welcome to the TARDIS."

"Much bigger on the inside…"

"You'd better be."

Rose rolled her eyes and hugged Jack happily.

OoOoOo

Please review and let me know what you think!

And again, sorry for the really late update!


	13. Chapter 11 - Boom Town

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Boom Town**

Jack and the Doctor were talking about some technical stuff which, even after living through this twice, Rose still didn't understand.

Last time she had called Mickey because the Doctor had just told them that they had to stop off in Cardiff so the TARDIS could refuel so to speak.

Rose bit her lip, before deciding she would call her mum instead.

"Hello?" She heard Jackie's voice on the other end.

"Hi, mum…" Rose responded softly.

"Oh, hello sweetheart" Jackie said happily "Have you finally convinced the Doctor to come and visit us?"

Rose chuckled "No, not yet mum… but we are gonna be in Cardiff for a bit if you wanna see us?"

"Sorry sweetheart, I cant get up to Cardiff… tell you what I'll see if Mickey wants to go and meet you-"

"No mum!" Rose tried to cut her mum off, but she kept on talking.

"He can bring you your passport."

"I don't need-"

"Maybe not on those alien planets, but what if you land on earth in a foreign country? Then you'll need it!" Jackie interrupted "Now stop complaining and inform that fella of yours that Mickey will meet you in Cardiff."

The Doctor and Jack were watching her in amusement as she let out a cry of frustration as her mum hung up on her.

"She hung up on me!"

The Doctor snorted.

Rose glowered at him before sighing "Mickey's coming up to meet us in Cardiff."

"Why?"

"Who's Mickey?"

Both Jack and the Doctor asked at the same time.

"Mickey's my ex and he's coming 'cause my mum decided I need my passport."

"Tell her you don't need it!"

"I tried… but she didn't listen"

Jack chuckled at the Doctor's expression.

"Fine, we'll stay long enough to meet Rickey." He went over to the console and started to mess around.

Jack sat in the Captains chair watching the couple.

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctors chest and kissed his neck softly "Oh, come on… it's not so bad having Mickey around, is it?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes "No, but I told you… once I have you, I wont let you go." He sighed as he turned to face her "This is your last chance Rose, the last time I'll say this… you could go back to Mickey after this, back to-"

"To what, beans on toast? Folding t-shirts for a living?"

The Doctor grimaced "Well… yeah"

"Why would I ever go back to that?"

He looked away.

"And I'm not saying that I'm with you so we can travel together… I mean that's obviously what I want to do an' all but I wouldn't want to travel the stars if I couldn't do it with you… and if I had to live a normal life nothing and nobody could ever compare to you" Rose looked into his eyes "Right, enough of boosting your ego… lets get to Cardiff"

The Doctor chuckled and kissed her softly "My Rose"

Rose beamed at him, she knew that was the closest she'd get to hearing him say 'I love you'.

They pulled away from each other when they heard Jack cough awkwardly.

The tips of the Doctor's ears went red, whilst Rose blushed.

"Not that, that wasn't adorable but could you please have heartfelt conversations when I'm not in the room?" 

Rose giggled at the extremely awkward look on Jack's face and hugged him "Sorry pretty boy"

"It's okay Rosie" He turned to the Doctor and said "Well me and Rosie are just gonna go and have a girly chat." He winked at her and dragged her out of the room as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"So Rosie, how does he kiss? I want every detail" Jack wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rose snorted "You're perverted."

"Yup, and when I say details I mean-"

"We've only kissed"

"And?"

"Maybe slept together once… God you're worse than my mate Shareen"

Jack sniggered "Maybe?"

"Well… nothing happened, just a heartfelt conversation" She teased him.

Jack rolled his eyes "So tell me about Mickey and the Doctor…" 

"Mickey and the Doctor?"

"Well there's gotta be a story… I mean why does he call him Rickey?"

Rose chuckled "I think he was jealous… it started before I was with the Doc"

"Doc?"

"It really annoys him" She sniggered, remembering how Jack had annoyed him last time just after Cardiff.

Jack grinned at her "How did you get together?"

"We blew up Downing street, whilst we were inside it and it seemed like a good idea to kiss him before we almost died."

"Yeah, that would be a good time."

Rose sniggered at Jack as she continued to get him up to speed with everything up until they met him, well everything except her rewriting her past.

OoOoOo

Rose, Jack and the Doctor were all in the console room of the TARDIS, the had just landed in Cardiff and were debating whether or not to go out for lunch.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Must be Rickey." The Doctor said from where he was sat on the captains chair, Rose curled up beside him.

"I'll get it then" Jack grinned at them.

He opened the door and popped his head out "Who the hell are you?"

Mickey glared at him, responding indignantly "What d'you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?"

"Captain Jack Harkness." For once Jack didn't say his name flirtatiously "Whatever your selling, we're not buying."

"Get out of my way!" He barged past him rudely.

"Don't tell me, this must be Rickey." Jack winked at the Doctor who smirked at him.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Here comes trouble! How're you doing, Rickey boy?" The Doctor asked, considerably more cheerful now Jack had taken his side.

"It's Mickey!"

"Rickey!" Both Jack and the Doctor corrected him.

Rose snorted "Ignore them." She got up and gave him a hug.

"You look fantastic."

Rose looked away awkwardly "Did my mum send anything?"

"Oh, yeah. Here" Mickey passed Rose, her passport.

"Thanks" 

"So you're staying then?"

"Yeah…"

Mickey glared at the Doctor as he asked "So what're you doing in Cardiff? And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash?"

"This is Captain Jack Harkness-"

"A Captain of what?"

"Sexiness" Jack responded automatically.

Rose and the Doctor both sniggered before Rose continued "We just stopped off. We need to refuel. Thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but its like an earthquake fault between different dimensions-"

The Doctor cut her off "The rift was healed back in 1869-"

Rose continued "Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, 'cause these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway but she saved the world and closed it."

Mickey looked extremely confused as they continued.

Jack picked up the conversation "But closing a rift always leaves a scar, and that scar generates energy, harmless to the Human Race-"

"But perfect for the TARDIS, so just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and-"

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation-"

Rose joined in again "Like filling her up with petrol and off we go!"

Jack hi-fived Rose "Into time!"

Rose, Jack and the Doctor shouted "And space!" as the Doctor and Rose hi-fived.

"Whoo!" Rose cheered.

Mickey stared at the three of them in disbelief "My God, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Yeah!" The Doctor said grinning.

"Yeah!" Rose agreed happily.

"Yep!" Jack gave Mickey a friendly slap on the cheek.

OoOoOo

They all bundled out of the TARDIS.

"Should take another twenty-four hours, which means we've got time to kill." The Doctor informed them.

"That old lady's staring." Mickey pointed out.

"Probably wondering what four people could do inside a small wooden box…" Jack patted the Doctor suggestively on the shoulder.

Rose, Jack and the Doctor all sniggered, Mickey scowled at Jack.

"What are you captain of? The Innuendo Squad?"

Jack made the 'whatever' sign to Mickey and wandered over to Rose.

"Wait! Er, the TARDIS - we cant just leave it. Doesn't it get noticed?"

"Yeah, what's with the police box? Why does it look like that?"

Rose stroked the side of the TARDIS fondly "It's a cloaking device."

The Doctor grinned at her as he explained to Mickey and Jack "It's called a chameleon circuit. The TARDIS is meant to disguise itself wherever it lands, like if this was Ancient Rome, it'd be a statue on a plinth or something. But I landed in the 1960's, it disguised itself as a police box, and the circuit got stuck."

"So it copied a real thing? There actually was police boxes?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, on street corners. Phone for help before they had radios and mobiles. If they arrested someone, they could shove them inside until help came. Like a little prison cell." 

Jack leant towards him "Why don't you just fix the circuit?"

"I like it!" The Doctor responded defensively "Don't you?"

"I LOVE it!" Rose agreed happily.

Mickey grinned, thinking he had proved a point "But that's what I meant! There's no police boxes anymore, so doesn't it get noticed?"

Rose and Jack rolled their eyes.

The Doctor sighed "Rickey, let me tell you something about the Human Race. You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town and what do they do?" He put his hands on Mickey's shoulders as Mickey opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get a chance as the Doctor continued "Walk past it. Now stop your nagging, let's go and explore!"

He walked towards Jack and Rose, and linked his hand with Rose's as Rose linked her other arm with Jack as Mickey followed the three, annoyed.

"What's the plan?" Jack asked curiously.

"I don't know! Cardiff. Early 21st century." Rose bounced up and down excitedly as the Doctor spoke.

"And the winds coming from the… East. Trust me - safest place in the universe." The Doctor announced happily.

"Not anymore." Rose replied just as happy.

The Doctor and Jack looked at her curiously.

"He said it was the safest place in the universe, so he's jinxed it" Rose explained.

Jack chuckled as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

OoOoOo

Rose sniggered as Jack continued his story.

"I swear, six feet tall and with TUSKS-"

The Doctor chuckled "You're lying through your teeth!"

Rose gave Jack her tongue in tooth grin "I'd've gone bonkers! That's the word - bonkers!"

Jack grinned at them "I mean, it turns out the white things are tusks and I mean TUSKS! And it's woken, and it's not happy-"

The Doctor snorted "How could you not know it was there?"

Jack continued "And we're standing there, fifteen of us, NAKED-"

"Naked?!" Rose questioned with an arched eyebrow.

Jack smirked at her "And I'm like, oh, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me! And then it roars, and we are running. Oh my God, we are RUNNING! And Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and I say-"

Mickey cut in "I knew we should've turned left!"

All four of them roared with laughter.

"That's my line!" Jack agreed, laughing.

"I don't BELIEVE you, I don't believe a word you say EVER, that is so brilliant!" Rose sniggered "Did you ever get your clothes back?"

Jack chuckled "No, I just picked him up went right for the ship, full throttle, didn't stop until I hit the space lanes, I was shaking! It was unbelievable, I'm freaking out and by the time I got there I was fifteen light-years away I was like this!"

As Jack continued speaking, Rose looked up and saw the Doctor frowning at the paper.

"And I was having such a nice day." He said showing them the headline which showed Margaret the Slitheen.

As Rose got up to join the Doctor both Mickey and Jack looked at them curiously.

"Who is that?" Jack asked.

"Margaret the Slitheen" Rose stated softly.

"Ah." He nodded, understanding the Doctor's troubled look more now.

"You mean one of those things escaped Downing Street? I thought they were all dead!" Mickey panicked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes as he walked out of the café heading towards the town hall. Rose and Jack exchanged a look as they followed, Rose dragging Mickey with them.

"Why is it still here then?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor sighed "That's what we're going to find out."

They strode up the steps to the town hall and entered the building, walking up the steps into the entrance hall.

Jack looked around him "According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious, masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit." He looked at the Doctor, Rose and Mickey as he continued "Okay, plan of attack, we assume a basic fifty seven/fifty six strategy, covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you go face-to-face, that'll designate Exit One, I'll cover Exit Two, Rose, you're Exit Three, Rickey Smith, you take Exit Four. Have you got that?"

Rose tried to hide her smile as Mickey looked incredibly confused and the Doctor looked mildly surprised.

"Excuse me." The Doctor responded sternly "Who's in charge?"

Jack looked at him and smiled sheepishly "Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir."

The Doctor's voice deepened with authority "Right. Here's the plan." He paused before he beamed at them "Like he said. Nice plan. Anything else?"

Rose snorted.

Jack grinned "Present arms."

All of them pulled out a mobile.

"Ready" The Doctor, Rose and Mickey said in unison.

"Speed dial?"

They each pressed a button with a beep.

"Yup" The Doctor nodded.

"Ready" Rose responded.

"Check" Mickey added.

Jack gave them a lazy grin "See ya in hell."

He walked off to the right whilst the Doctor and Rose headed off to their own exits as Mickey hesitated.

OoOoOo

Rose stood at her exit patiently.

The Doctor's voice suddenly rang through her mobile "Slitheen heading North."

"On my way" She responded as she started to run.

"Over and out." Jack answered after she does.

Mickey's voice came last "Oh my God."

Rose ran down a corridor and pushed past two secretaries, sending paperwork flying.

"Sorry" She apologised over her shoulder as she continued to sprint down the corridor.

Rose finally burst out of an exit and saw Margaret climbing down the scaffolding from her balcony and ran towards her and she saw Jack running from the other direction as the Doctor climbed down the scaffolding.

"Margaret!" He called mockingly.

Margaret bolted down the only open exit as Jack, Rose and the Doctor converged at one end.

"Who was on Exit Four?!" Jack asked annoyed.

"That was Mickey!" Rose answered, a bit out of breath.

Mickey finally appeared, panting "Here I am!"

The Doctor glared "Mickey the idiot."

Rose rolled her eyes "Oh, be fair - she's not exactly gonna outrun us, is she?"

Margaret suddenly vanished in blue light.

"She's got a teleport!" Jack observed, frustrated "That's cheating! Now we're NEVR gonna get her!"

Rose smirked "Oh, the Doctor's very good with teleports."

The Doctor produced his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and held it in the air with a dopey grin and clicked it once.

Margaret reappeared and was much closer, running towards them with a self satisfied smile which faded once she realised where she was and she grinded to a halt, hurriedly changing direction.

She vanished again, and the Doctor clicked his screwdriver again.

She reappeared, again running towards them. She turned around, vanished again, and again, the Doctor clicked his sonic screwdriver making her to reappear, and that time she was right in front of them, absolutely exhausted and gasping for breath.

The Doctor smiled cheerily "I could do this all day."

Margaret put her hands up "This is persecution. Why cant you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "You tried to kill us and destroy this entire planet."

Margaret shrugged dismissively "Apart from that."

They headed back into the building, into the exhibition room.

The Doctor looked at Margaret "So, you're a Slitheen, you're on Earth, you're trapped. Your family get killed but you teleport out, just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape. What do you do? You build a nuclear power station." He gestured to the model in the middle of the room as Rose and Jack examined it. "But what for?"

"A philanthropic gesture. I've learnt the error of my ways."

"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift."

"What rift would that be?" Margaret asked curiously.

Jack raised an eyebrow "A rift in space and time. If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go schwwwupboom!"

The Doctor looked down at the model "This station is designed to explode the minute it reaches capacity."

"Didn't anyone notice?" Mickey asked "Isn't there someone in London CHECKING this?"

Margaret scoffed "We're in CARDIFF. London doesn't care! The South Wales coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice - oh… I sound like a Welshman. God help me, I've gone native."

"But why would she do that? A great big explosion - she'd only end up killing herself" Mickey asked, looking at the Doctor.

"She's got a name, you know."

"She's not even a she, she's a… thing" Mickey glared at Margaret.

The Doctor eyed Margaret "Oh, but she's clever…" in one swift movement he prised the middle section off the model and flipped it over, revealing a giant circuit board underneath. "Fantastic!"

Jack looked at it and asked excitedly "Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator?!"

The Doctor grinned at him "Couldn't have put it better myself."

Jack took it off the Doctor and admired it "Ooh, GENIUS!" he turned to Margaret "You didn't build this."

"I have my hobbies. A little tinkering…"

Jack shook his head "No, no, no, I mean, you REALLY didn't build this. Way beyond you."

"I bet she stole it." Mickey put in.

"It fell into my hands" Margaret replied offhandedly.

"Is it a weapon?" Rose asked.

Jack placed the extrapolator on the floor "It's transport. you see - the reactor blows, the rift opens, phenomenal cosmic disaster, but THIS thing shrouds you in a force field, you have this energy bubble, zzhum, so you're safe. Then you feed it coordinates, stand on top, and ride the concussion all the way out of the solar system."

"It's a surfboard!" Mickey realised.

"A pan-dimensional surfboard, yeah" Jack agreed.

Margaret scowled at them as she said bitterly "And it would've worked-"

"If it wasn't for us meddling kids…" Rose muttered as Jack snorted and Mickey grinned.

Margaret glowered at her "I would've surfed away from this dead-end dump and back to civilisation."

Mickey was incredulous "You'd blow up a whole planet just to get a lift?"

"Like stepping on an anthill" Margaret responded snidely.

The Doctor spoke then, staring up at the poster "How'd you think of the name?"

Margaret looked confused "What, Blaidd Drwg? It's Welsh."

"I know, but how did you think of it?"

"Chose it at random, that's all I dunno. Just sounded good. Does it matter?"

The Doctor turned around, frowning "Blaidd Drwg."

"What does it mean?" Mickey asked.

"Bad Wolf" Rose said softly.

The Doctor looked at her "Everywhere we go. Two words. Following us. Bad Wolf."

"How can they be following us?" Rose asked.

The Doctor stared at her for a few more moments before he shrugged "Nah! Just a coincidence! Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. Never mind! Things to do!" He clapped his hands briskly "Margaret, we're gonna take you home."

"Hold on, isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?"

Rose looked at the Doctor as gleefully as last time "We actually get to go to Raxacoricofallapatorius!" 

"They have the death penalty." Margaret cut in.

They all turned to look at her, smiles fading.

"The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty. With no chance of appeal. According to the statutes of government, the moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death." She stared coldly into his eyes.

The Doctor shrugged indifferently "Not my problem."

OoOoOo

Margaret stared in wonder at the TARDIS "This ship is IMPOSSIBLE! It's SUPERB. How do you get the outside around the inside?"

"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah."

"I almost feel better about being defeated. We never stood a chance. This is the technology of the Gods."

The Doctor snorted "Don't worship me - I'd make a very bad God. You wouldn't get a day off, for starters… Jack, how we doing, big fella?"

Jack continued wiring the extrapolator to the TARDIS as he replied "This extrapolator's top of the range" he peered at Margaret for a moment "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, I don't know… some airlock sale…?"

"Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power."

The Doctor stared at Jack "But can we use it for fuel?"

"It's not compatible… but it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

"Then we're stuck here. Overnight."

"I'M in no hurry…" Margaret announced.

Rose agreed with her silently, the longer they were here, the longer she had her leather Doctor… because after he regenerated, she'd never see this version of him again.

"We've got a prisoner! The police box is really… a police box." Rose said.

Margaret smiled unpleasantly "You're not just police, though. Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and everyone of you…"

Mickey responded coldly "Well, you deserve it."

"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak you're hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me, how, exactly…?"

"Now, hold on a minute!" Rose cut in "We haven't killed countless people or tried to destroy worlds for profit… we're taking you to your home, which is probably the safest thing for Earth considering you've tried to destroy it twice!"

Margaret opened her mouth to speak but Rose didn't let her.

"They might have the death penalty awaiting you at Raxacoricofallapatorius but what did you do to earn that punishment? And what else have you destroyed, stolen or killed before you came to Earth?"

Mickey, Jack and the Doctor all seem to have the tension lifted from them at Rose's words, because she's right. They might be taking Margaret to her death, but if they didn't and she destroyed or killed again it would be on their heads.

Mickey wandered outside as Margaret continued to stare at him after Jack and the Doctor both pointedly ignored her and Rose just glared at her coldly.

Rose followed him "I'm just gonna check he's okay!"

OoOoOo

"I'm okay" He said softly as Rose closed the door behind her "It's just a little weird in there"

Rose smiled "I didn't need my passport."

Mickey nodded "I know, but your mum kept nagging me to bring it"

"I'm glad you did… we might not be together but you're still my best friend"

He smiled at her "I'm going out with Trisha Delaney"

Rose arched an eyebrow "Are you happy?"

"Yeah."

Rose grinned at him "Good. She's nice and you deserve that… not someone who'll break up with you the minute someone asks her to go travelling"

He looked at her, confused as she leads him away from the TARDIS.

"I know what I did was wrong… I completely forgot about you and I shouldn't have and then I didn't even explain why."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… that wasn't the first time I met the Doctor, well it was but-"

"What're you saying, Rose?"

"I got trapped somewhere… separated from the Doctor with no way to get back but Bad Wolf brought my memories back into my 19 year old body… just before the shop blew up so I could rewrite my past and save my life as well as others."

"I cant believe this" Mickey started to walk away.

"Mickey, please just-"

"Just what, Rose?"

"Listen."

He sighed "Am I in your future?"

She grinned at him "Mickey Smith, Defender of the Earth"

"If you're gonna make fun…"

"I'm not making fun… Some stuff happens and you save both me and the Doctor."

He stared at her, silently.

"He changes, he regenerates to save my life and his face changes after I become Bad Wolf."

Mickey stared at her "This actually happens?"

"Yeah…"

He nodded "Tell me everything"

"I cant…"

Mickey shrugged "Tell me what you can"

Rose grinned at him "You believe me?"

He nodded "I take it you haven't told the Doctor then?"

"You're the only one who knows"

"So, tell me."

Rose grinned as she explained everything that had happened in her past timeline and how she had changed it and what was going to happen next… how she became the Bad Wolf and how he regenerated and everything up until the parallel world.

"So parallel worlds actually exist?"

"Yeah" She grinned at him.

"Is this one of the things you cant tell me about?"

"Yeah, sorry"

Mickey grinned at her "No, don't be… I think this is the first time I've understood you in a while"

Rose smiled at him.

"And it's nice to know something your Doctor doesn't."

She rolled her eyes and whacked him on the arm "Be nice" She scolded as they walked back to the TARDIS.

Rose fell into Mickey as the ground shook and they saw a huge bolt of lightning coming out of the TARDIS's roof.

Rose grinned at him and held out her hand "You coming?"

Mickey grinned back and took her hand.

They ran for the TARDIS as cracks appeared in the ground and burst into the ship.

Mickey asked "What is it? What's happening?"

Margaret laughed gleefully "Oh, just little me!"

She freed one of her arms from the skin suit revealing the Slitheen claw, Rose pushed Mickey towards Jack and the Doctor and ran after him but Margaret caught her around the neck.

Mickey went to dart forward after he realised what's happened but Jack held him back.

The Doctor had also gone to run towards Rose but Margaret's next words stopped him.

"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise."

"I might've known." The Doctor glowered at her.

Margaret moved closer, Rose still in her grasp "I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it." She turned to Jack "You - fly boy - put the extrapolator at my feet."

When Jack hesitated Margaret tightened her grip around Rose's neck. Jack looked towards the Doctor who nodded, so Jack placed the extrapolator at her feet.

Margaret smiled pleasantly "Thank you. Just as I planned"

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station." Rose chokes out.

"Failing that - if I were to be… arrested… then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan B!" Margaret pulled one of Rose's plaits roughly causing her to whimper as Mickey, Jack and the Doctor tensed "To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift" She looked around the TARDIS with awe "And what a power source it found… I'm back on schedule… thanks to you."

Jack looked panicked "The rift's gonna convulse - she'll destroy the whole planet."

"And you with it!" Margaret added spitefully.

She pushed Rose to the side, still holding onto her neck as she stood on the extrapolator.

Margaret smiled evilly "When I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back boys… surf's up."

Suddenly a panel of the console directly in front of Margaret burst open and a blinding white light flooded out.

Rose closed her eyes, careful not to look at it. She couldn't become Bad Wolf yet.

The Doctor said calmly "Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart."

"So sue me." Margaret shot back.

"It's not just any old power source. It's the TARDIS. My TARDIS. The best ship in the universe." The Doctor replied.

Margaret responded nastily "It'll make wonderful scrap."

"What's that light?" She heard Mickey ask, Rose had almost forgotten he was here this time.

"The heart of the TARDIS. This ship's alive. You've opened it's soul."

Margaret started breathing heavily, her voice taking on a dreamy tone "It's… so bright…"

"Look at it, Margaret…" The Doctor encouraged.

"…Beautiful…"

"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch. Look at the light."

Margaret's grip on Rose relaxed and she stumbled away from the Slitheen who continued to stare into the light with a blissful smile on her face.

Rose is caught by Mickey and Jack as Margaret looked up at the Doctor and said softly and genuinely "Thank you…" before she is engulfed by the bright light.

When it cleared, Margaret's body suit flopped down on top of the extrapolator, empty.

The Doctor darted around the console quickly "Don't look - stay there - close your eyes!" He commanded the three of them.

He slammed down levers and the gap in the console closed, shutting out the white light.

"Now, Jack, come on - shut it all down. Shut down!"

Jack rushed over to the console.

"Rose, that panel over there - turn all the switches to the right."

Mickey stood there awkwardly as the other three worked. The shaking eventually lessened and everything seemed to go back to normal.

"Nicely done. Thank you, all."

"What happened to the Slitheen?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor looked at him obviously surprised that Mickey was still with them.

Jack answered "Must've burnt up. Carried out her own death sentence."

The Doctor shook his head "No. I don't think she's dead."

"Then where'd she go?" Mickey looked curious.

The Doctor smiled "She looked into the heart of the TARDIS, and even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic - like I told you, Rose. Gets inside your head. Translates alien languages. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts…" 

The Doctor knelt down beside the skin suit for a closer look and Rose, Jack and Mickey followed suit.

The Doctor reached inside the skin suit and pulled out an egg.

"Here she is!"

"She's an egg?" Rose asked.

"Regressed to her childhood."

"She's an egg?" Jack and Mickey both repeated Rose's question.

"She can start again! Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell 'em to bring her up properly, she might be all right!"

"Or she might be worse." Jack disagreed.

"That's her choice." 

"She's an egg." Mickey repeated.

"She's an egg." The Doctor nodded happily.

"Well" Mickey announced suddenly "That's enough weirdness for one day… I should be getting back home."

"Do you wanna lift?" Rose asked softly.

"Yeah, if you're offering… besides-"

"You gotta get back to Trisha?" Rose teased.

Mickey snorted "Right."

The Doctor smiled "We can leave now, we're all charged up."

"After that we can go to Raxacoricofallapatorius"

"Just stop by and pop her in the hatchery" The Doctor added nodding towards the egg "Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again! A second chance."

The engines rose and fell as the TARDIS faded away.

"Rose!" They heard Jackie's voice echo from outside the TARDIS doors.

"And you had to land in my mum's living room?" Rose asked, glaring at the Doctor.

"Sorry" He smiled sheepishly.

The four of them exited the TARDIS and saw Jackie Tyler stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Mum!" Rose ran over and hugged her as Mickey, Jack and the Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS.

Mickey walked forwards then and hugged Rose "I'll see you at Christmas, yeah?" he whispered in her ear as she grinned at him.

"Yeah…"

Mickey looked at the Doctor for a moment as he said "You take care of her, Doctor" before leaving the flat.

"Mum this is Captain Jack Harkness" Rose introduced Jack quickly and added before either her mother or Jack could speak "And he has work to do in the TARDIS, right Doctor?"

"Yep" He smirked at Jack who rolled his eyes before disappearing into the TARDIS.

"That was rude" Jackie grumbled.

"You would've flirted with him or he would've flirted with you and I don't want to ever see that!" Rose responded.

Jackie rolled her eyes "You staying for a cuppa?"

"Sorry, mum… we cant, we have to do something…" Rose responded awkwardly.

Jackie nodded a bit sadly.

"I promise we'll stay for a bit next time we visit, yeah?"

"Yeah… and you've gotta stay for Christmas dinner" She added, seeming to cheer up.

Rose grinned and hugged her as the Doctor entered the TARDIS.

"Bye!"

As the TARDIS doors closed behind Rose, Jackie watched sadly as the ship disappeared from her living room along with her daughter.

OoOoOo

I don't know why I added the last bit, but I hope you liked it… I hope you liked how I included Mickey into the secret, I want to show him as being a little more understanding now that he knew and also because Rose didn't lead him on this time and she gave him a reason why she dumped him the way she did and the fact she didn't actually leave him for a stranger like he first thought.

Please review and tell me whether or not you liked it… thank you!


	14. Interlude - Boom Town

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Interlude**

They'd just taken Margaret the egg back to Raxacoricofallapatorius when Rose realised that they'd soon be taken to Satellite 5.

Her eyes went wide as she realised that this could be one of the last times she would get to see her leather Doctor before they were in battle with the Daleks.

"Rose, you okay?" She turned to see both Jack and the Doctor staring at her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine… Doctor I need to speak to you…" She wandered over to him and grabbed his arm before dragging him out of the console room and into hers.

"Rose?" He asked softly.

She pressed her lips to his, pulling his leather jacket from his shoulders and onto the floor.

He understood what she wanted immediately and pulled away for a moment.

"Are you sure you want this, Rose?" He asked, looking into her eyes for any sign of hesitation.

"You said you wouldn't ask again" She smiled at him and kissed him softly "I want you Doctor"

He kissed her passionately in response.

OoOoOo

Rose rested her head on the Doctor's chest and listened to his hearts beat as she lay there, the rhythmic beats slowly lulled her to sleep.

She was barely conscious when she heard her Doctor whisper the five words she had longed to hear "I love you, Rose Tyler" she felt his arms tighten protectively around her as sleep claimed her.

OoOoOo

I know this is incredibly short, but I hope you like it… I had been intending to put it in the last chapter but I completely forgot about it.

And then I realised there was barely any romance in 'Boom Town' so I decided to upload this separately.


	15. Chapter 12 - Bad Wolf

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Bad Wolf**

Rose woke up groggily and looked around herself, bemused before she saw Rodrick and she realised that it was finally time to face the Daleks.

"What happened?" She heard herself ask Rodrick as she thought over her last night with the Doctor and how thankful she was that it happened before this… because although she loved her pinstriped Doctor, leather would always be the man she fell for first.

"It's alright… it's the transmat. Does your head in."

Rose looked around as she recalled the last time she was here.

She looked at Rodrick as he spoke again "Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

"Rose. But… where's the Doctor?" She repeated her line from last time.

"Just remember - do what the Android says" Rodrick warned "Don't provoke it. The Android's word is law."

Rose tried not to glare at the man who had kept her in the round only so he could win the last round.

"Positions, everyone! Thank you!" Someone shouted.

Rodrick helped Rose to her feet "Come on. Hurry up!"

Rodrick dashed behind his own podium as Rose took her place behind her own podium.

The Anne Droid suddenly sprung to life "Welcome, to 'The Weakest Link'!"

"17...16...15...thank you people, transmitting in 12...11...10..."

Rose turned to Rodrick "I need to find the Doc-"

He cut her off "Just - shut up and play the game!"

"All right then." Rose decided to play stupid like last time "What the hell? I'm gonna play to win!"

Rodrick looked at her like she'd lost it.

"3, and cue!"

"Let's play 'The Weakest Link'!" The Anne Droid said "Start the clock."

The weakest link music played as the Anne Droid turned to face the first player.

"Agorax - the name of which basic food stuff is an anagram of the word 'beard'?"

"Bread."

"Correct." The Anne Droid turned to the next contestant "Fitch - in the Pan Traffic Calendar, which month comes after Hoob?"

"No, Pandoff." The Anne Droid turned to Rose "Rose, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"

"One hundred" Rose answered happily.

"Correct. Rodrick -"

The Anne Droid was cut off by Rodrick.

"Bank"

"Which letter of the alphabet appears in the word 'dangle' but not in the word 'gland'?"

Rodrick paused for a moment "E"

"Correct! Colleen - in social security, what D is the name of the payment given to the Martian Drones?"

"Default."

"Correct. Broff - the Great Cobalt Pyramid is built on the remains of which famous Old Earth Institute?"

"T-touchdown" He stuttered out.

"No- Torchwood"

Broff looked utterly distraught at the Anne Droid's response.

The Anne Droid continued questioning until it returned to Rose "In the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"

Rose laughed "How should I know?"

The Anne Droid continued to question people and Rose tried not to show her disgust of what was happening and her sadness that she couldn't save the majority of these people but she had to get through to the final round with Rodrick and she could only do that if he thought she was stupid.

The round finally ended and it was voting time she held up her board saying 'Fitch'.

"So, Rose. What do you actually do?" The Anne Droid questioned.

"Travel around."

Rodrick glanced at her.

"Another way of saying 'unemployed'." 

"No."

"Have you got a job?"

"Yeah, I work as an assistant to a Doctor who travels" She said slowly to the Anne Droid, she had been annoyed by the robots questioning last time.

"Why Fitch?"

"Well, I cant really vote for myself now can I?"

Fitch sobbed silently as she turned to the Anne Droid, pleading desperately "Let me try again, it was the lights and everything - I couldn't think."

The Anne Droid responded "In fact, with three answers wrong, Broff was the weakest link in that round, but - it's the votes that count."

Fitch started begging "I'm sorry. Oh, please… oh God, help me!"

She looked around wildly at the other contestants, Rodrick looked away as Broff sobbed silently into the board he was holding up. Rose felt tears falling down her cheeks knowing she couldn't do anything to stop the game or save the people.

"Fitch - you are the weakest link. Goodbye!"

The Anne Droid's mouth opened and a gun protruded from it. Without a moments hesitation, it fired and hit Fitch and where she had been stood a pile of dust lay in her place.

"And we've gone to the adverts. Back in three minutes…"

"What's just happened?"

He wiped his board clean "She was the weakest link - she gets disintegrated."

She made a small noise at the back of her throat.

Rodrick rolled his eyes and turned to her and spoke slowly as if addressing a dimwit "Blasted into atoms."

"But I voted for her. Oh, my God. This is sick."

Her words echoed around the studio and the contestants glanced at her.

"All of ya, you're just sick! I'm not playing this-" 

Broff cut her off "I'm not playing!" he whimpered, crying and obviously terrified "I… I cant do it."

The Anne Droid turned to him slowly. Broff leapt off his podium and tried to run for it.

"I'm not - please, somebody let me -"

"You are the weakest link." The Anne Droid announced as Broff then disappeared mid-run. "Goodbye."

Rodrick turned to Rose "Don't try to escape. It's play… or die."

OoOoOo

They kept playing Rose tried not to flinch as the Anne Droid 'kills' Colleen.

"Going to the break! Two minutes on the clock. Just a reminder - we've got solar flare activity coming up in ten."

Rodrick was wiping his board clean as Rose turned to him "Colleen was clever, she banked all our money. Why'd you vote for her?"

Rodrick smiled nastily at her "'Cos I want to keep you in! You're stupid! You don't even know the Princess Vossaheen's surname. When it comes to the final, I want to be up against you. So that you get disintegrated, and I get a stack-load of credits. Courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation…"

"What d'you mean? Who's Bad Wolf?"

Rodrick turned to her in disbelief "They're in charge. They run the Game Station."

"Why are they called Bad Wolf?"

"I dunno, it's just a name. it's like an Old Earth… nursery rhyme sort of thing- what does it matter?"

Rose shrugged, trying not to show how much she actually disliked Rodrick "Doesn't"

OoOoOo

Agorax screamed as he was disintegrated.

The Anne Droid turned to Rose and Rodrick "That leaves Rose and Rodrick - you're going head-to-head… let's play 'The Weakest Link'"

Rodrick said to Rose "Right, that's the end of the tactical voting… you're on your own now."

Rose snorted "You really believe I'm actually that stupid?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

OoOoOo

"Rose, in geography, the Grand Central Ravine is name after which Ancient Britain City?"

"Sheffield." Rose answered confidently as Rodrick glowered at her.

"Correct."

"You were pretending… this whole time"

She smiled sweetly at Rodrick "Tactical voting, I wanted to get someone who underestimated me"

"Rodrick, in literature, the author of 'Lucky' was Jackie who?"

"Stewart?" He gave a wild guess.

"No, the correct answer is Collins"

The Anne Droid turned to Rose "Rose, the oldest inhabitant of the Isop Galaxy is the Face of what?"

"The Face of Boe."

"That is the correct answer." She turned to Rodrick "Rodrick, in history, who was the President of the Red Velvets?"

"Hoshbin Frane."

"That is the correct answer. Rose, in food, the dish Gaffabeque originated on which planet?"

"Lucifer."

"Correct. Rodrick, which measurement of length is said to have been defined by the Emperor Jate as the distance from his nose to his fingertip?"

"Would that be a goffle?"

"No. the correct answer is a paab. Rose, in fashion, Stella Pok Baint is famous for what?"

"Shoes."

"No. the correct answer is hats."

Rodrick got a gleeful look in his eyes when she got the answer wrong, but it dimmed slightly when Rose whispered "I figured I might give you a small chance to catch up, if you can"

"Rodrick, in physics, who discovered the Fifteen-Dash-Ten Barric Fields?"

"San… Chen?"

"That is the correct answer. Rose, in history, which Icelandic city hosted a Murder Spree Twenty?"

"Reykjavik…?"

Rodrick looked anxiously at the Anne Droid, knowing he'd die if it was right.

"No, the correct answer is Pola Ventura."

"You both have three points each-"

The Anne Droid was cut off by the Doctor, Jack and the girl from last time barging into the room.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted over to her.

"Stop this game!" Jack commanded.

"I order you to stop this game!" The Doctor glowered at the workers.

"We're live on air!" The floor manager protested.

The Doctor ran towards Rose, followed by Jack and Lynda.

Rose pushed the podium out of the way "Look out for the Anne Droid, it's armed!"

"You are the weakest link" She heard the Anne Droid say behind her, and knew what is coming.

Rodrick said you have to play or die, she was running so she was going to 'die'.

The disintegrator beam hit Rose in the back and she screamed as she disappeared.

OoOoOo

Rose groaned as she woke up. She sat up and saw the Daleks surrounding her.

"Alert! Alert! We are detected!" One of the Daleks suddenly cried out.

"It is the Doctor! He has located us!" Another Dalek announced "Open communications channel!"

"The female will stand. Stand!" The first Dalek ordered Rose.

She stood slowly as an image materialised in mid air.

"I will talk to the Doctor." One of the Daleks said.

"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!" He waved at the Dalek's mockingly and Rose's lips twitched upwards in amusement.

"The Dalek Stratagem nears completion. The Fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene."

"Oh, really? Why's that then?"

"We have your associate. You will obey or she will be exterminated."

"No." Both Rose and the Doctor said at the same time.

She glanced up at the screen with a smile as the Doctor stared back at her.

The Dalek sounded confused as it responded "Explain yourself."

"I said 'no'."

"What is the meaning of this negative?"

"It means 'no'."

"But she will be destroyed."

The Doctor stood "No! 'Cos this is what I'm gonna do - I'm gonna rescue her."

Rose stared up at the screen, grinning.

"I'm gonna save Rose Tyler from the middle of the Dalek Fleet, and then I'm gonna save the Earth, and then just to finish off, I'm gonna wipe every last STINKING Dalek outta the sky!"

"But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan!"

The Doctor grinned "Yeah. And doesn't that scare you to death? Rose?"

Rose beamed at him "Yes, Doctor?"

"I'm coming to get you."

"Never doubted it!" She shot back with her tongue in tooth grin just before the communication line closes.

"The Doctor is initiating hostile action!"

"The Stratagem must advance. Begin the invasion of Earth!"

Rose stepped out of the Daleks way as they move about.

"The Doctor will be exterminated!"

"Exterminate!" Thousands of Daleks repeated the phrase as Rose looked around her at the insane army.

OoOoOo

Sorry for how short it was, but I was only getting Rose's parts in there. I hope you enjoyed it.

I know I changed one of Rodrik's answers but I wanted his score to match Rose's because I actually hate his character and I know he dies in it, but I really hate him.

Please review and let me know what you thought!


	16. Chapter 13 - The Parting of Ways

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

I added a little more to the end of the chapter and have also attempted to fix any grammar mistakes in this chapter and the previous ones.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

OoOoOo

**Parting of Ways**

"You know the Doctor! You understand him! You will predict his actions!" A Dalek shouted at Rose.

Rose smirked "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell ya…"

The Dalek had a slightly hysterical edge to it as it ordered Rose; "Predict! Predict! Predict!"

A second Dalek spoke up "TARDIS detected. In flight."

"Launch missiles! Exterminate!"

"As if that's gonna kill him…" Rose muttered and grinned when she heard the TARDIS materialising.

She moved towards the Doctor's outline and ducked out of the Dalek's way as the TARDIS materialised around her and one of the Daleks.

"Rose get down!" The Doctor shouted.

She threw herself to the floor as the Dalek cried "Exterminate!"

The Dalek fired at Jack, who was holding a gun and deflected the ray back towards the Dalek who exploded with a scream.

"You did it!" Rose grinned at them as she stood up.

The Doctor walked up to Rose and without a word, wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in years."

"Told you I'd come and get you." 

"Yeah, and like I said then… 'never doubted it'." She kissed him softly before hugging him again.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked when they pulled away from each other.

"Yeah, you?"

"Not bad." He wandered over to the smouldering remains of the Dalek whilst Jack approached Rose.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?"

"Ahh, come here!" Rose grinned.

Jack gestured to the Doctor "I was talking to him."

They laughed before they threw their arms around each other.

"Welcome home!"

"Ohh, I'm glad to see you both!"

"Oh, you were lucky - that was just a one-shot wonder. Drained the gun of all its power supply. Now it's just a piece of junk."

They walked over to where the Doctor was examining the Dalek with his sonic screwdriver.

"You said they were extinct. How comes they're still alive?" Rose asked.

"One minute they're the greatest threat in the universe, the next minute they vanished out of time and space." Jack said.

"They went off to fight a bigger war… the Time War…" The Doctor replied softly.

Jack looked surprised "I thought that was just a legend."

"I was there" The Doctor replied "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords. With the whole of creation at stake. My people were destroyed, but they took the Daleks with them."

He stared at the Dalek before he added quietly "I almost thought it was worth it. Now it turns out they died for nothing."

"There's thousands of them now. What're we gonna do?"

The Doctor said cheerfully "No good stood round here chin-wagging! Human race, you'd gossip all day. The Daleks have got the answers - lets go and meet the neighbours."

Rose and Jack exchanged a look as they followed the Doctor and poked their heads around the doors.

"Exterminate!" The cry echoed around the ship as every Dalek repeated it, they fired off bolts of energy which just reflected off the TARDIS's force field.

The Doctor raised his hands mockingly "Is that it? Useless! Nul points." He turned to Jack and Rose "It's all right, come on out. That force field can hold back anything."

"Almost anything." Jack corrected.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "…Yes, but I wasn't going to tell them that. Thanks."

"Sorry." Jack smiled sheepishly.

The Daleks were silent, observing the three of them.

The Doctor stepped forward "D'you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm. You might've removed all your emotions… but I reckon that right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left. And that's fear." He paused for a moment "Doesn't it just BURN when you face me? So, tell me - how did you survive the Time War?"

"They survived through me." They heard a rumbling Dalek voice answer.

The Dalek emperor was illuminated as the three of them stepped towards it.

"Rose… Captain… this is the Emperor of the Daleks."

"You destroyed us, Doctor. The Dalek Race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."

"I get it" The Doctor interrupted.

"Do not interrupt!" Every Dalek on the ship echoed the words.

Rose and Jack flinched. Despite having lived through this once, crazy Daleks were still terrifying.

The Doctor just looked mildly annoyed as he continued "I think you're forgetting something. I'm the Doctor. And if there's one thing I can do - it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So if anybody's gonna shut up, it's YOU!"

The Daleks shuffled back slightly at the fervour in his words as the Doctor turned back to the Dalek Emperor.

The Doctor's tone was light again "Okey doke. So, where were we?"

"We waited here in the dark space, damaged but rebuilding. Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth. Harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed - they all came to us. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted. The seed of the Human Race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured." The Emperor stated.

"So, you created an army of Daleks out of the dead." The Doctor responded.

Rose looked around at them "That makes them… half human."

The Emperor's voice rose "Those words are blasphemy!"

"Do not blaspheme!" The cry echoed around the Dalek ship.

"Everything human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek."

The Doctor looked around at the Daleks, disturbed "Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?"

"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!" The Emperor announced.

"Worship him! Worship him! Worship him!" The crazed cry went around the ship, repeated by every Dalek.

The Doctor turned to Rose and Jack "They're insane! A hundred years hiding in silence - that's enough to drive anyone mad." He stared intently at the Daleks "But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity." He shook his head sadly "You hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever" He turned to the Emperor Dalek "We're going."

"You may NOT leave my presence!" The Emperor Dalek shouted.

"Stay where you are!" One of the Daleks commanded them as they made their way to the TARDIS doors.

Rose and Jack entered the TARDIS as the Doctor turned and grinned at the Daleks mockingly before closing the door on them.

The cry of 'Exterminate!' could be heard echoing around the TARDIS as they dematerialized.

OoOoOo

The Doctor strode out of the TARDIS and towards the controls on Floor 500 "Turn everything up. All transmissions, wide open, full power. Now! Do it!"

A male programmer obeyed the Doctor as he asked "What does that do?"

"Stops the Daleks from transmatting on board. How did you get on? Did you contact Earth?"

"Well, we tried to warn them, but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programmes."

"And the planet's just sitting there, defenceless." The Doctor noticed Lynda "Lynda, what're you still doing on board?" He rounded on the male programmer "I told you to evacuate everyone."

"She wouldn't go."

"Didn't wanna leave ya." Lynda said smiling up at him.

Rose tried to suppress the feeling of jealousy rising in her.

A female programmer added "There weren't enough shuttles anyway, or I wouldn't be here… we've got about a hundred people stranded on Floor Zero."

The male programmer stared at the screen "Oh, my God. The Fleet is moving. They're on their way."

The Doctor ripped out armfuls of wires from the desks as he spoke quickly "Dalek plan - big mistake. Because what have they left me with? Anyone? Anyone? Oh, come on - it's obvious. A great big transmitter - this station."

Jack stared at him, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The Doctor continued "If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it - anyone?"

Jack finally worked it out "You've gotta be kidding."

"Give the man a medal!"

Jack looked incredulous "A Delta Wave?"

"A Delta Wave!" The Doctor repeated excitedly.

"What's a Delta Wave?" Rose asked.

"A wave of Van Cassadyne energy. Fries your brain - stand in the way of a Delta Wave and your head gets barbequed!" Jack replied.

"And this place can transmit a MASSIVE wave! Wipe out the Daleks!"

Lynda spoke up "Well, get started and do it then!"

"Trouble is, wave this size, building this big, brain as clever as mine, should take about - ooh - three days? How long till the Fleet arrive?"

"Twenty-two minutes." The male programmer answered checking the computer.

OoOoOo

"We've now got a force field so they cant blast us out of the sky." Jack said "But that doesn't stop the Daleks from physically invading."

The male programmer asked "Do they know about the Delta Wave?"

Jack nodded "They'll have worked it out at the same time. So, if they want to stop the Doctor, that means they've got to get to this level - 500." He indicated an illustrative diagram on the screen "Now, I can concentrate the extrapolator around the top six levels, 500 to 495. So, they'll penetrate the station below that at level 494 and fight their way up."

"Who're they fighting?" The male programmer asked.

"Us." Jack stated softly.

"And… what're we fighting with?"

"The guards had guns with bastic bullets - that's enough to blow a Dalek wide open."

The female programmer looked sceptical "There's five of us."

The Doctor called over from where he's busying himself with the wires "Rose, you can help me. I need all these wires stripped bare."

Rose walked over to him immediately.

"Right! Now there's four of us!"

"Then lets move it! Into the lift! Isolate the lift controls!" Jack ordered.

The male and the female programmers hurried off as Lynda approached the Doctor.

The Doctor stood up to meet her as she stuttered "I- I just wanna say, um… thanks, I s'pose. And… I'll do my best!"

"Me too." The Doctor agreed.

They shook hands awkwardly, as Lynda laughed embarrassedly whilst Rose glowered at the pair.

She knew she shouldn't be jealous, after all Lynda died trying to help the Doctor.

Lynda wandered off as the Doctor watched her leave. Rose, trying to quell her jealousy stripped a wire with unnecessary ferocity, dropping it to the floor as Jack approached them, standing up.

Jack laughed "It's been fun!"

The Doctor smiled.

Jack's expression turned serious "But I guess this is goodbye."

Rose shook her head "Don't talk like that. We're gonna do it. You just watch."

"Rose…" He cupped her face in both his hands and looked her intensely in the eyes as he said sincerely "You are worth fighting for." He placed a brief kiss on her lips before he turned to the Doctor.

He grinned at him "Wish I'd never met you, Doctor!" He cupped the Doctor's face in both hands "I was much better off as a coward." And he kissed him in the same way he kissed Rose.

He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, then pointed towards the exit. "See ya in hell."

The Doctor and Rose both watched as he ran off.

"He's gonna be alright." Rose stated confidently.

The Doctor smiled softly at her but didn't respond.

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor worked in a companionable silence.

"Suppose…" She paused.

The Doctor looked up at her "What?"

"Nothing" She shrugged.

"You said 'suppose'."

"No, I was just thinking… I mean, obviously you cant, but… you've got a time machine. Why cant you just go back to last week and warn them?"

The Doctor didn't look up from his work as he replied "Soon as the TARDIS lands in that second, I become part of events. Stuck in the timeline."

Rose nodded "Yeah, thought it's be something like that…" she carried on working.

"There's another thing the TARDIS could do… it could take us away…"

Rose glanced up at him with a small smile.

"We could leave. Let history take its course. We go to Marbella in 1989."

"You'd never do that." She responded, smiling.

The Doctor met her eyes "No, but you could ask." 

She didn't answer.

Rose could hear the affection in his voice as he continued "Never even occurred to you, did it?"

"Well, I'm just too good!"

He smiled at her like she was everything to him, when the computer whirred in the background and the Doctor looked over at it, suddenly alert.

"The Delta Wave's started building. How long does it need?" They both jumped to their feet and rushed over to the computers.

The Doctor sat in one of the chairs as Rose peered over his shoulder, he pressed a few buttons and stared at the monitor as his face fell.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked.

He didn't reply and let his head sink downwards.

"Okay, it's bad. How bad is it?"

The Doctor suddenly perked up and leapt to his feet, his eyes bright as he looked at her "Rose Tyler, you're a GENIUS!" He announced gleefully.

Rose smiled weakly as he kissed her gently "We can do it! If I use the TARDIS to cross my old timeline… yes!"

He shot off toward the TARDIS, Rose followed close behind him.

They burst through the TARDIS doors and the Doctor indicated a lever "Hold that down and keep position."

"What's it do?"

The Doctor wandered over to the computer "Cancels the buffers. If I'm very clever - and I'm more than clever, I'm brilliant - I might just save the world. Or rip it apart…"

"I'd go for the first one."

"Me too. Now, I've just got to go and power up the Game Station. Hold on!"

Before he could run out of the TARDIS, Rose grabbed onto the front of his jacket and pulled him towards her, kissing him passionately before letting him go and holding onto the lever.

He stared at her for a few moment before running out of the TARDIS, the doors swinging shut behind him.

Rose felt tears rolling down her cheeks as the TARDIS started to dematerialize, running towards the door "Doctor! Let me out!" She screamed as she banged on the door, her heart broke at the thought that the next time she saw her leather Doctor she was going to kill him by becoming the Bad Wolf.

She stood against the doors, her head falling back against them as a hologram of the Doctor appeared before her suddenly, staring straight at her "This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape." Rose let out a choked sob at his words, just the thought of him dying made her heart ache fiercely "And that's okay. Hope it's a good death."

Rose walked towards the hologram "But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home." She stopped beside the hologram "And I bet you're fussing and moaning now - typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do: let the TARDIS die."

"Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it; no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing." He turned to face her, his eyes full of love and compassion "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life. My Rose."

With the last two words the hologram flickered before fading entirely.

Rose cried silently as the TARDIS grinded to a halt and she rushed outside and leaned against the door facing the block of flats where she lived.

She sat at the foot of the TARDIS doors and cried silently as she waited for Mickey to appear.

Mickey ran around the corner and remembering what she had told him, he pulled her into a hug as he whispered softly "You'll get back to him, Rose."

OoOoOo

Jackie and Mickey sat on the opposite side of the table to Rose as they ate chips.

They tried to have a normal conversation around her but Rose stared sullenly out of the window.

Jackie glanced at Rose, who hadn't listened to a word of the pointless conversation between her and Mickey "Oh, Rose. Have something to eat…"

"Two hundred thousand years in the future, he's dying, and there's nothing I can do."

"Well, like you said - two hundred thousand years - its way off!"

"But it's not! It's now! The man I love could be dying right now!"

Jackie looked at her shocked whilst Mickey shifted awkwardly.

"I love him mum… without him, I-"

Mickey cut her off "We'll try everything to get you back to him, Rose."

Rose looked at him, smiling softly because although she knew it hurt him that she loved the Doctor, he really did want to help her get back to him and Rose was glad that she didn't have to hurt him as she did in the last timeline "Well, come on then."

She lead her mum back to the TARDIS as Mickey brought his car round.

OoOoOo

"Faster!" Rose shouted to Mickey as he tried to pull the console open by a chain attached to his car "It's not moving!"

The chain shuddered… then snapped causing Rose to groan in frustration.

OoOoOo

"Maybe it's for the best, sweetheart." Jackie said softly comforting her daughter.

"No" Rose denied stubbornly.

"Lock the door. Walk away."

"Dad wouldn't give up."

"Well, he's not here, is he?" Rose looked at her for a few moments "And even if he was he'd say the same."

"No, he wouldn't."

Jackie stared at her.

"He'd tell me to try anything. If I could save the Doctor's life… try anything."

"Well, we're never gonna know." Jackie responded dismissively.

"Well, I know. 'Cos I met him. I met Dad."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jackie argued quietly.

Rose sat up "The Doctor took me back in time, and I met Dad."

"Don't say that."

"Remember when Dad died…? There was someone with him." Her voice cracked as tears rolled down her cheeks "A girl. A blonde girl. She held his hand…"

Jackie didn't respond.

"You saw her from a distance, mum! You saw her! Think about it! That was me. You saw me-"

"Stop it." Jackie said abruptly.

"That's how good the Doctor is-"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Jackie shouted, not wanting to hear it, and ran from the TARDIS crying.

Rose sat back, alone and crying. Hating that she had to reduce her mother to tears, but knowing it was the only way Jackie would even consider helping.

OoOoOo

Suddenly a massive yellow truck turned the corner and was being driven towards the TARDIS which Mickey and Rose were stood beside.

Jackie climbed out and strode towards them "Right. You've only got this until six o'clock, so get on with it."

"Mum, where the hell did you get that from?" Rose asked, amused.

"Rodrigo. He owes me a favour. Never mind why, but you were right about your dad, sweetheart. He was full of mad ideas, and this is exactly what he would've done. Now get on with it before I change my mind." She chucked the keys to Mickey who hurried towards the pickup truck as Rose rushed into the TARDIS.

OoOoOo

"Keep going!" Rose shouted to Jackie.

Jackie shouted to Mickey "Put your foot down!"

Rose watched as the truck pulled the console by the chain "Faster!"

"Give it some more, Mickey!"

The metal of the console began to creak.

"Keep going!"

"Come on, come on!" Jackie shouted.

The chain became more and more taut as the metal creaked even more loudly in protest.

"Keep going!"

"Give it some more!"

Finally the catch ripped off and the panel flew open releasing a blinding white light.

Rose stepped into the light, which reflected onto her face with a golden light. The light suddenly flowed into her eyes in two golden streams.

The TARDIS doors slammed shut as Mickey shouted her name.

OoOoOo

The time vortex streamed into Rose's eyes as she stared into it. Rose Tyler smiled as Bad Wolf whispered into her mind… her promise of forever was not ever going to be broken.

OoOoOo

The TARDIS doors were flung open as Rose stepped out of the light curling around her in golden tendrils.

As she stepped forwards the Doctor stumbled backwards, falling to the ground.

He stared at her, scared "What've you done?"

Rose gazed down at him, her eyes were glowing gold with the light of the time vortex.

Her London accent was gone as she spoke "I looked into the TARDIS. And the TARDIS looked into me." 

"You looked into the Time Vortex - Rose, no one's meant to see that." Fear was evident in the Doctor's voice.

"This is the abomination!" The Emperor Dalek yelled.

"Exterminate!" One of the Daleks in the room shouted.

The Dalek fired at Rose, who merely held up her hand. The bolt froze before it reversed back into the gun. The Doctor looked at it in amazement and then turned to Rose, his gaze was intense as he stared at her.

"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words… I scatter them in time and space." The words 'Bad Wolf' were raised from the wall and floated away. "A message to lead myself here."

The Doctor spoke urgently, a desperate plea to make her understand the gravity of what she had done "Rose, you've got to stop this. You've got to stop this now." Rose stared straight ahead as though she hadn't heard him. He continued to stare at her as he attempted to implore her to understand "You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're gonna burn."

Rose turned to him suddenly "I want you safe." He looked taken aback by the simple words, seeing the traces of tears on her cheeks "My Doctor. Protected from the false God."

"You cannot hurt me. I am immortal." The Emperor Dalek stated confidently.

"You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space - every atom of your existence, and I divide them."

She raised her hand and the Dalek in the centre of the room was separated into golden, liquid-like particles.

"Everything must come to dust… all things. Everything dies." She looked to the sides and the rest of the Daleks in the room were reduced to golden particles.

"The Time War ends."

"I will not die. I cannot die!" The Emperor's voice rose in fear.

It screwed up its eye as it's ship and all the others were reduced to the golden particles, dissolving away into oblivion.

Rose stood with her arms raised, staring straight ahead of her, shaking.

"Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go."

Rose's voice was hushed and blissful as she responded "How can I let go of this? I bring life…"

She felt Jack return from death and gifted her Captain with something.

The Doctor was terrified as he responded "But this is wrong! You cant control life and death!"

Rose looked at him again "But I can. The sun and the moon… the day and night." Her voice trembled "But why do they hurt…?"

The Doctor's voice was desperate "The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault."

He lowered his head with anguish and a single tear fell from Rose's eye "I can see everything."

The Doctor raised his head again.

"All that is… all that was… all that ever could be." Her voice broke at the last words, the pain of time vortex in her mind was just as intense as it had been the first time.

The Doctor stood abruptly "That's what I see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"

Rose's voice became scared "My head…"

"Come here." He held his arms out to her.

"…is killing me…"

He took her hands "I think you need a Doctor."

They stepped slowly to face each other. The Doctor gazed into Rose's eyes as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

The Time Vortex flowing out of her eyes and into his as they kissed.

They parted slowly, her eyes fluttering closed as she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.

OoOoOo

Rose woke up on the floor of the TARDIS and looked up at her Doctor.

"You're dying." Rose stated softly as she stared at him.

He glanced at her surprised "Yeah…"

"You took the Time Vortex out of me and now it's killing you."

The Doctor smiled softly at her.

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'm doing it"

"What?"

"Regenerating."

"Doctor…?"

He looked up at her curiously, wondering how she'd take it, whether she'd accept him because he knew that whatever body he changed to he would always love her with both his hearts "I'm gonna change… I wont die, but I'll become a new man" he finally decided on saying, waiting for her reaction.

"But… you'll still be you?" She asked softly, staring back at him calmly.

"Yeah… different face, personality… but still the Doctor" He replied gently, comforting her in the fact that although he might change… underneath it all, he would always feel the same for her and ultimately be the same man.

When she doesn't respond, the Doctor decided to change the subject "I was gonna take you to Barcelona - not the city Barcelona, the planet. You'd love it. Fantastic place - they've got dogs with no noses."

He laughed at his own joke, Rose giggled weakly "You can still take me there…"

He grinned at her "Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny!"

"Doctor… you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah… just different…"

She walked over and kisses him, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you" She said stepping back as he winced in pain.

"I love you too…" He whispered to her before he was suddenly propelled backwards with a blast of golden light.

"Doctor!"

"Stay away!" He said urgently before he whispered "Before I go… I just want to tell you, you were fantastic." He grinned at her "Absolutely fantastic… and d'you know what?"

Rose's heart pounded in her chest and her eyes shone with unshed tears as she drank in the sight of her leather Doctor for the last time. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she shook her head at his question.

"So was I!" The Doctor smiled widely at her, through the pain before he convulsed suddenly and golden energy exploded from his skin.

Rose let out a choked sob as she lost her leather Doctor and she staggered backwards keeping her eyes fixed on him as he changed from leather to pinstripes.

When the golden energy faded away the Doctor looked surprised for a moment, before he turned to look at Rose.

"Hello! Okay-oo" He gulped.

Rose stared at him, heart-broken that her first Doctor was no more but so excited at seeing him again, as she watched him run a tongue over his teeth, with his brow furrowed.

"New teeth. That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right! Barcelona." He grinned widely at her.

OoOoOo

Please review and tell me what you thought.

The next chapter will explain what Bad Wolf gave to Jack. I hope you liked it!


	17. The Parting of Ways - Jack's Gift

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Jack's Gift**

Jack gasped as death was once again pulled from him, he let out a choked sob as he thought of Ianto, his beautiful Welshman that he wouldn't ever hold again.

Bad Wolf felt as though she could cry when she felt the pain and grief radiating from one whom she loved almost as much as her Doctor.

"Hello, my Captain" She eventually greeted.

Jack started as he heard Rose's voice echo in his mind, but that couldn't be right… after the Daleks invaded Earth, the Doctor sent her back to that parallel world with his clone.

"My lonely, immortal Captain." Bad Wolf continued when she realised Jack wouldn't speak "I am the Bad Wolf… I brought Rose back to the moment she first met the Doctor and now I have brought you back to the moment I made you immortal."

Jack almost cried at those words as memories flooded his mind and he recognized changes in the different set of memories.

"Why?" He finally asked.

Bad Wolf laughed softly "I love you, my Captain… almost as much as I love the Doctor" sensing his confusion, Bad Wolf elaborated "I am Rose and Rose is me… she loves you so I love you"

"But why to this moment?"

Bad Wolf laughed again "Because this is the first and last time I came into contact with you… and I wished to give you an explanation."

"And Rose?"

"I gave her more time with her first Doctor because she wished for it."

"She started a relationship with big ears…" Jack said after a minute, remembering his and Rose's 'girly chat' "I'm glad… last time you could feel the sexual tension that both of them refused to notice" Jack paused for a moment "When did you send her back?"

"After the battle of Canary Warf"

"So that means I know more than she does about the future…" Jack said softly.

"Yes…is there anything you wish to say to her? She will remember this conversation after the majority of my power has left her in this timeline."

Jack grinned "Remember the names Martha Jones and Donna Noble, you're gonna want to meet them" He smiled fondly at his memories of the fiery red head and the woman who walked the entire earth to save it.

Bad Wolf chuckled "I must leave you now, my Captain… but you know what to do."

Jack nodded, he would save Ianto, Tosh and Owen this time around. He wouldn't let his brother manipulate things and kill them… he might even get more time with Ianto.

"You definitely will get more time with Ianto, my Captain"

"What?" He whispered, not daring to hope that she might even be suggesting what he wished she was.

"I love you, my Captain… were my love for the Doctor not so great, I might have fallen for you instead" Jack heard Rose's London accent bleeding through now "I want you to be happy… I am giving you a gift my dear captain, the minute you kiss Ianto his life will be bound to yours…"

Jack grinned and let out a cry of happiness.

"Of course, you've got a while to go yet" Bad Wolf chuckled.

"As long as I know he's alive, I can wait." Jack said gleefully.

Bad Wolf giggled "He will stay with you forever… frozen in time as I am"

"Frozen?" 

"Never dying, never aging" Bad Wolf shrugged "Like you, like me"

"Rose is frozen?"

"From the minute she first became me, she was frozen… forever 19"

"Why?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Because she wanted to give the Doctor forever" Bad Wolf answered simply and Jack understood immediately.

"You'll come and visit me in Cardiff?"

"Most definitely" Bad Wolf agreed instantly "You have my number, call when you need me and I'll be there."

Jack grinned "Thanks, Rosie"

"Don't mention it, Jack" Bad Wolf's voice was beginning to fade "Oh and one more thing… the Doctor mustn't know!"

Jack smiled happily to himself as Bad Wolf disappeared from his mind, he heard the TARDIS leaving in the distance but unlike last time he let it go and got ready to go to the 1800's… might as well get it over with, so he could see Ianto and Rosie again.

OoOoOo

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I put it in because I wanted Jack to have some love and I really love Ianto! I'm also thinking of doing a Torchwood fic following on from this… so this sets it up, let me know what you guys think?

Please review! Constructive criticism welcome! Thanks.


	18. The Parting of Ways - Regeneration

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

OoOoOo

**Regeneration**

Rose watched her second Doctor as he dashed to the console and flicked a few switches before he checked the monitor "6pm… Tuesday…" he muttered softly.

He turned a knob "October… 5006... On the way to Barcelona!" He added happily before he straightened up and turned to Rose, looking extremely pleased with himself "Now then… what do I look like?" He paused for a moment before he held up his hand to silence her "No, no no, no no no no no no no. No. Don't tell me."

Rose sniggered as he continued waffling on.

"Let's see… two legs, two arms, two hands…" He circled his wrist, testing it "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle." His hands flew to his head and he ran his fingers through his hair "HAIR!" he shouted out gleefully "I'm not bald!"

He continued to run his hands through his hair "Oh - oh! Big hair!" he felt his sideburns and sounded delighted as he continued "Sideburns - I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin. Little bit thinner…" he slapped his stomach "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." Then, with the air of someone making the most wonderful discovery he said "I… have got… a mole. I can feel it."

Rose was trying to hold in her laughter as he continued, oblivious to her "Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole." He rotated his shoulders "That's alright. Love the mole." He grinned at Rose then "Go on then, tell me." He stood up straight before her, hair all ruffled and sexy "What do you think?"

"Really great hair…" Rose muttered before she could stop herself.

The Doctor's smile seemed to brighten at her comment "You think?"

Rose blushed as he continued to stare at her.

"You're still… you?" She asked after a few moments.

He smiled softly "I'm still me."

She walked up to him and slapped his arm.

"Ah!" He shouted, as he rubbed his now sore arm "What was that for?!"

"Sending me away, and risking your life!" Rose glared at him, before throwing her arms around him as she buried her face in his neck "This is for not dying…" she whispered against his skin.

The Doctor hugged her back possessively.

"I know I'm not the man-"

"Doctor…" She muttered "Shut up and kiss me…"

He looked taken aback for a moment before grinning and complying with her wish.

Rose moaned softly as his tongue invaded her mouth, she ran her fingers through his hair as he lifted her up and her legs locked around his waist.

"Rose…" He whispered her name happily "I thought you wouldn't… you might not-"

"You're still you, Doctor… no matter how you've changed" Rose cut him off, softly.

Rose dropped back onto the floor softly, her cheeks flushed and lips swollen from the kiss.

"Bad Wolf told me something, Doctor…" Rose hesitated, she had always told him that she wanted to give him forever but they had never actually known it could happen.

"What?" He asked, concern clear in his voice.

"I'm frozen…" She whispered.

"Frozen?" His confusion was obvious.

Rose elaborated "Frozen… at 19, forever…"

The Doctor stared at her wide-eyed for a few moments, thinking he had heard her wrong - he was never that lucky.

Rose started to turn away but he grabbed her into a tight hug, happiness laced his voice as he said "I love you, Rose Tyler…"

"My Doctor…" Rose replied, giggling as he chuckled.

They pulled away from each other, grinning.

Rose spoke suddenly "I'm gonna miss you… the old you" she added at the Doctor's confused look.

The Doctor looked a bit downcast at that "You want me to change back."

"Can you?"

"No." He looked away from her.

"Good."

The Doctor looked at her surprised "Good?"

"Good." She repeated firmly "I loved you as big ears…" she smirked at his indignant 'oi!' as she continued "I love you with your big hair… because underneath it all, you're still my Doctor… and if you can't change back, I don't care…"

His smile grew wider at every word she spoke.

"…I just want you, no matter how you look…" She finished, smiling up at him.

He kissed her softly "Thank you, my Rose"

"I want to go home…" She said after a few minutes.

He looked at her shocked before she continued, oblivious to the hurt expression on his face "I promised my mum and Mickey we'd be there over Christmas"

She looked at him as he replied "Christmas Eve?"

"Yup!" Rose agreed happily "You thought I meant I wanted to leave."

"No!" The Doctor responded too fast.

"You're adorable."

The Doctor pouted.

"Even cuter when you pout."

"I'm not pouting."

Rose snorted "Yeah, you are."

"Am not." He muttered.

"For a nine hundred year old Time Lord… you can be such a child" She teased him.

He rolled his eyes, moving over to the console to change the TARDIS's destination from planet Barcelona to the Powell Estate on Christmas Eve.

Their humour was suddenly gone as the Doctor gagged and the TARDIS shuddered.

Rose rushed over to him immediately.

He gagged again, more violently than before and continued to make nasty retching noises.

"Uh oh" He managed to choke out.

"Doctor! What's happening?!"

A piece of golden time vortex issued from the Doctor's mouth.

"The change is going a bit wrong…" He gagged again and fell to his knees.

Rose watched him silently as he suddenly moved towards a lever "I haven't used this one in years." He flicked it making the TARDIS shudder violently almost knocking them from their feet.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked cautiously.

The Doctor replied crazily "Putting on a bit of speed! That's it!"

He turned more knobs whilst Rose grabbed onto one of the coral pillars.

"My beautiful ship!" He shouted gleefully "Come on, faster! That's a girl!" The Doctor was almost violent as he continued crazily "Faster! Wanna break the time limit?!"

"Stop it!" Rose shouted at him.

The Doctor responded nastily "Ah, don't be so dull - let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" He caught her eye for a moment and his voice calmed "The regeneration's going wrong. I cant stop myself." He grimaced in pain "Ah, my head…"

He violently sprung back up into a standing position, his voice crazed again "Faster! Let's open those engines!"

A bell rang in the background.

"What's that?"

The Doctor sounded delighted as he answered "We're gonna crash land!"

"Well then, do something!"

He laughed manically as his voice rose hysterically "Too late! Out of control!" He ran around the console giggling "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!"

He hopped in the air excitedly.

Rose would've laughed if she hadn't been clinging onto the coral for dear life, she knew she wouldn't die but… a crazed Doctor was still more terrifying than most things she'd faced. Leather would've hated pinstripes she thought as he continues to giggle.

"Hold on tight, here we go!" He shouted.

Their eyes met across the console, the Doctor grinning madly whilst Rose glowered at him.

"Christmas Eve…!"

OoOoOo

I hope you liked it!

Please review and tell me what you thought!


	19. Chapter 14- Alternate Christmas Invasion

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

I'm so glad you all liked Jack's chapter! I wasn't sure whether or not to add it but Jack/Ianto are second only to the Doctor/Rose in my opinion.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

OoOoOo

**The Christmas Invasion**

Rose stumbled to the floor as the TARDIS crash landed, she barely had time to think as the Doctor immediately rushed through the doors.

"I'm really glad I explained everything to Mickey now…" She muttered as she pulled herself to her feet using one of the coral columns.

As Rose reached the doors she heard the Doctor exclaim "Merry Christmas!"

When she stepped outside, both Mickey and her mum were staring at her pinstriped Doctor in disbelief as he lay unconscious on the ground.

Mickey stood beside her quickly as she shut the doors behind her "This is really the Doctor?" He whispered, his voice showing his uncertainty.

"Yeah… this is my Doctor" Rose smiled at Mickey who glanced back at the strange man.

"Well… I gotta say I feel better about losing you to him than big ears," Mickey finally decided on saying.

Rose snorted "I fell in love with big ears before him,"

Mickey rolled his eyes "Yeah, well… you better explain to your mum what happened to him before she calls an ambulance."

Rose's eyes widened "Oh, God!" she turned and saw her mum still knelt beside the Doctor.

Jackie was staring at the apparent stranger curiously "Who's this then?" She asked softly, "Another 'companion'? Like that Captain? And where's the Captain and that fella of yours?"

Rose smiled fondly at her mum "This is him, this is the Doctor."

"What do you mean, 'this is the Doctor', Doctor who?"

Rose chuckled "I'll explain what I can when we get 'im back to the flat, yeah?"

"I suppose" Jackie relented before she looked at Rose sternly, "But you've got a lot of explaining to do, sweetheart."

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Rose ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair softly as he lay in her bed.

Last time, he had said all it took was a cup of tea for him to fix whatever went wrong with the regeneration but her mum had made him several cups of tea throughout the day when they'd been in the flat and he hadn't woken up then.

Jackie stood in the doorway, just watching how her daughter looked at this man who could change his face… this alien who took her away on life-threatening adventures. She could see Rose's love for this… Doctor, as clear as day in her eyes and she couldn't find it in herself to hate this man who had claimed her Rose's heart so completely. He had tried to send her away from danger… and for that she almost loved this strange alien who had walked into their lives.

Jackie walked over after a few moments and sat on the bed next to Rose, handing her a stethoscope "Here we go. Tina the Cleaner's got this lodger, medical student. And she was fast asleep, so I just took it."

Rose smiled faintly as she put the stethoscope in her ears and placed it on one side of the Doctors chest before she moved it to the other side.

"Both working…" She said, cutting her mum off "And he doesn't need to go to the hospital, mum."

Jackie stared at her for a few moments before her daughter's words registered in her mind "Both? What d'you mean both?"

"He's got two hearts,"

Jackie just looked at her as if she was stupid and opened her mouth to speak before Rose cut her off.

"He's an alien, mum… he's gonna be a little different," She added as she walked out of the room.

Jackie stared at the Doctor for a moment before following after her.

"How can he go changing his face?"

Rose looked back at Jackie and explained "The Doctor called it Regeneration… he said it's a way for his people to cheat death, they change every cell in their body until they become a new person with a new personality but he's still the Doctor with the same feelings and-"

Jackie cut her off "How can you be so sure, sweetheart?"

Rose looked down trying to think of an explanation that would appease her mother without her actually explaining how she knew for definite that this was still the Doctor, "Because before he changed, my Doctor told me he was ultimately the same man just with a different face…"

"And you accept that?"

Rose looked up at her mum but saw only concern instead of accusation and she smiled softly "He wouldn't lie to me… and if I don't believe he's the same man then it means I killed my Doctor…"

"You… killed him?" Jackie asked, concern laced her voice.

"When we opened the heart of the TARDIS, I absorbed the Time Vortex into my mind and became the Bad Wolf but the power… it was burning my mind so the Doctor took it from me and by doing that he sacrificed his life and changed into this new Doctor."

Jackie stared wide-eyed at her daughter, her respect for this man was rising… from what Rose said, he gave up who he was to save her life.

Jackie wrapped her arms around Rose "Oh, sweetheart… if you believe that man is still the Doctor, then that's good enough for me I suppose."

Rose beamed at her "It is…" She trailed off when she realised she had to tell her mum about Bad Wolf.

She took Jackie's hand and lead her into the living room where Mickey was sat with his laptop.

"There's something else I need to tell you both…" She said softly, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

Mickey took her free hand as Jackie continued to hold her other hand.

"Whatever you have to say, Rose… just say it, it won't change anything with us," Mickey assured her and nodded at Jackie.

"He's right sweetheart, besides it cant be stranger than you being in love with an alien, can it?" She joked with a faint smile.

Rose snorted and finally looked up at Mickey and her mum "Bad Wolf… told me something…"

"Told you what?" Mickey urged her to speak.

"I'm frozen." She continued after a few moments of silence.

Mickey understood, in Cardiff she had told him about her wish to give the Doctor forever and to stay with him for the rest of her life.

Jackie however looked even more confused than before as Mickey hugged Rose to him.

"I'm happy for you both," He whispered softly, his eyes showing he was genuinely pleased for her… but there was also some sadness as well, as he remembered his own relationship with her which was cut short by the Doctor.

"Thank you…" Rose smiled at him and hugged him back tightly.

Jackie finally spoke up "You're… frozen?" Confusion was etched onto her face as she asked the question.

Mickey chuckled as Rose smiled sheepishly at her mum, she had forgotten Jackie wouldn't exactly know what that meant "It means I'm frozen at 19, forever… it means I can stay with the Doctor without worrying about aging… or dying" she added the latter as she remembered Jack.

Jackie gaped at her.

Rose's smile dropped and she looked at Mickey who just shrugged at her.

"Mum?" She asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

Jackie batted her daughters hand away and just asked simply "And this is what you really want?"

"I want to be with the Doctor… I promised him forever and Bad Wolf gave me that…" Rose answered honestly.

Jackie nodded before hugging Rose "Well, you have to promise to visit every now and then… Christmas especially, and birthdays" she ordered firmly, trying not to cry at the knowledge that she truly had lost her daughter to this man.

Rose felt tears running down her own cheeks as she hugged her mum back fiercely "Every year" she agreed, her voice filled with emotion.

"Not sure the Doctor would agree to that," Mickey sniggered.

Rose giggled as Jackie rolled her eyes.

Rose opened her mouth to speak when she realised Harriet Jones, like last time, was speaking on the TV.

"Harriet Jones?" She asked, winking at Mickey "Is she Prime Minister now then?"

Jackie nodded "I'm eighteen quid a week better off. They're calling it 'Britain's Golden Age'." She smiled at Rose "Keep on saying 'my Rose has met her'."

Rose grinned at her "Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones…" She trailed off, remembering Downing Street fondly before she frowned at the memory of how she destroyed the Sycorax in the last timeline even after they had agreed to go… she really had to heal the Doctor faster this time.

"Wanna go Christmas shopping, Rose?" Mickey asked motioning to Jackie who was on her way back into the kitchen.

"Do you actually want to bump into robot Santa's?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

Mickey shrugged sheepishly "I'm curious about this 'exciting' life-threatening life of yours, Rose."

She snorted "Yeah I suppose murderous Santas is a good way to start, besides the sooner we get rid of the Pilot Fish the sooner we can focus on the Doctor," she paused a moment "Mum, me and Mickey are going shopping," Rose shouted into the kitchen.

"Okay, sweetheart… don't be too late home, after he wakes up I doubt I'll be seeing too much of you" She added the latter part sadly.

OoOoOo

"So… you gonna tell me about what you changed on your recent adventures?" Mickey asked curiously.

Rose arched an eyebrow at him "What've I told you so far?"

"Up to where I go with you and the Doctor to a parallel world," Mickey shrugged.

"Okay, well I saved Captain Jack again as you know from Cardiff…" She trailed off.

"He's the immortal one?"

"Yup… but this time Bad Wolf gave him a gift, he had a lover last time but because he couldn't die, he was destined to be alone in a sense but this time his lover will be with him for as long as he lives." Rose was smiling as she spoke, remembering the happiness on her Captain's face as she had informed him that he wouldn't have to be alone forever.

"Wow… you really love them both don't you?"

Rose frowned at him "What d'you mean?"

"You are giving the Doctor his forever and you gave the Captain and his lover immortality… you didn't want him to die."

"I couldn't imagine Jack or the Doctor dying, ever." Rose frowned, her heart ached at the mere mention of either one of them dying permanently - regenerations she could live with because underneath the change he was still the Doctor - and Jack, well she had stopped him from ever dying… though how he became the Face of Boe was a mystery to her.

"Exactly, you love them both,"

"I love you as well…" Rose whispered softly.

"But not as much as the Captain and the Doctor…" Mickey paused "I get that, I really do… it just hurts."

The last word was spoken so quietly, Rose barely heard it. She wrapped her arms around his and whispered "I'm so sorry… I guess I'm just so happy you know and are so accepting that I just… forgot that I broke up with you for him… I mean in the last timeline it was two years since we were together so I didn't even think-"

Mickey cut her off as he heard the guilt in her voice "Rose, don't apologise… you need Jack and the Doctor, not me… I understand that I'm not the Mickey you left back in your first timeline but I'll try to be there for you when Jack and the Doctor can't be…" He hesitated then "Speaking of, where is Jack?"

Rose smiled "Jack should be in Cardiff right now, running Torchwood… according to Bad Wolf, he's running it in honour of me and the Doctor. Bad Wolf also brought him back in time so he could fix things in his life, apparently he knows more than me about the future because he was brought back from later in his life."

"You could visit him?"

Rose smiled sadly "I cant… not until I change what I need to," she answered vaguely, thinking of Canary Warf. Bad Wolf had warned her not to try and find him before then because the timelines would get all messed up.

Mickey just nodded silently, he opened his mouth to speak when Rose gripped his arm tightly "Santa's here…" She hissed to him, nodding over to where the robots were playing 'Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy'.

"Get ready to run," She warned him quietly as the Santas turned to them and stopped playing. There was a few moments of silence before one of the Santas revealed his trumpet to be a flamethrower, the rest of them followed suit as Rose grabbed Mickey's hand and dragged him away, ducking behind a stall.

"We need to find a taxi…" Rose informed him just as one of the Santas blasted the stall they were hiding behind. Mickey lead them away this time as the Santas continued shooting after them, one of them being caught underneath an enormous Christmas tree which had been knocked down by one of the others.

Mickey dragged Rose down one of the streets as they saw a taxi, Rose motioned for it to stop, as it drew to a stop beside them they both clambered in.

"When we get 'ome we need to get the Doctor to the TARDIS and figure out how to wake him up… last time he said it was something to do with tea but I cant quite remember exactly what it was…" She told Mickey, frustration clear in her voice.

OoOoOo

Mickey threw some money at the driver before him and Rose jumped out of the taxi and ran up towards the flat.

Rose burst through the door quickly, Mickey right behind her as they found Jackie in the living room.

Rose took the phone off her mum and said "Hey, Bev? Look, it'll have to wait," before she hung up, handing the phone back to her mum, "Sorry, mum but it's important… we need to get the Doctor down to the TARDIS-"

She was cut of by Mickey "Where'd you get that Christmas tree from?"

Rose froze and looked at the brand new Christmas tree in the living room, how could she have forgotten the bloody big Christmas tree that had attempted to kill them last time.

Jackie turned to look at it as well "Well, I thought it was you!"

"How can it be us?" Mickey asked incredulously.

Jackie shrugged "Well, you went out shopping, there was a ring at the door and there it was!"

"Mum, it wasn't us…" Rose responded, still staring at the tree.

"Then who was it…?"

They all stared at the tree, Mickey and Rose pulled Jackie behind them as the tree lit up.

"Go to the Doctor," Rose ordered.

Mickey nodded and grabbed Jackie's arm, pulling her down to Rose's bedroom where the Doctor lay unconscious as the tree started to spin, slowly at first but speeding up rapidly.

Rose backed away as the tree spun towards her, reducing the coffee table to splinters within seconds.

"Come on, Rose!" Mickey shouted from within her bedroom, Rose could hear Jackie protesting and telling them they should get out now before the tree reached them.

Rose rolled her eyes and rushed into her bedroom quickly, shutting the door behind her "Help me move this," She motioned to the wardrobe and Mickey and Jackie both got up to move it in front of the door.

The three of them jumped as they heard glass breaking, outside the door.

Mickey and Jackie pushed the wardrobe against the door and held it there as Rose took the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's leather jacket and rushed over to the Doctors side.

She flinched as the wardrobe started to shake as the Christmas tree attempted to break through. Jackie shouted out as it finally smashed through the wardrobe, Mickey dragged her over to a corner away from the tree.

Jackie's voice rose squeakily as she exclaimed fearfully "I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!"

Rose raised the sonic up and aimed it at the tree. As it exploded, she sighed in relief when she didn't have to wake up the Doctor.

OoOoOo

Rose lead her mum and Mickey out onto the balcony and pointed the sonic screwdriver threateningly at the three robot Santas below the balcony.

As they backed off and teleported away, Rose and Mickey grinned at each other in relief.

"What were they?" Jackie asked fearfully.

"Not sure," Rose answered "But they were here for the Doctor, I know that much, so we need to get him into the TARDIS."

"Why the TARDIS?" Mickey asked.

"Better protection than the flat…" Rose shrugged, hating that she didn't know how exactly to help him.

OoOoOo

Mickey, Rose and Jackie lay the Doctor on the floor of the console room.

"I'll make us all a cuppa," Jackie said softly "Where's the kitchen on this thing?"

Rose smiled at Jackie "She'll lead you to it,"

Jackie nodded and wandered off warily.

Once she was gone, Mickey spoke "How can we help him?"

"I dunno… it's something to do with tea I know that and maybe now we're here she can help us with him getting better,"

There was silence between them until Jackie came back into the room with a tray of four mugs of tea "I made one for the Doctor if he wakes up," She explained softly.

Rose nodded and placed his mug beside him on the floor before she took her own.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Mickey broke the silence "He said he gets TV in 'ere, can you work it?"

Rose arched an eyebrow "I can try," they both walked over to the console as Jackie watched them from where she's sat in the Captains chair, none of them noticed that Mickey had knocked over the Doctor's mug of tea to the floor, steam rose upwards as the Doctor inhaled.

Rose succeeded in getting the news channel on the screen after fiddling about with it for a bit and the three of them watched as Llewellyn spoke about the Guinevere 1 space probe.

"Christmas day…" Jackie suddenly pointed out.

Rose smiled at Mickey and her mum and said softly "Merry Christmas."

Mickey snorted "Spending the day in the TARDIS is not something I wanted to do on Christmas…"

Rose grinned at him "You're just lying to yourself Mickey."

They continued to tease each other until Jackie said curiously "Funny sort of rocks." Referring to the image on the screen. The image suddenly got clearer and the three of them jumped as the alien roared viciously at them.

OoOoOo

Jackie and Mickey both went up to the flat to assess the damage done by the Christmas tree whilst Rose watched over the Doctor.

She cleared up the four mugs and had brought them into the kitchen when she heard movement in the console room.

Rose rushed in and saw the Doctor rising to his feet.

"Doctor!" She shouted gleefully, causing him to turn to her with a wide smile.

"Rose-" That's all he got out before Rose was in his arms, hugging him tightly.

He chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist "Tea, that's all I needed! A good cup of tea, superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses…" He trailed off then as she released him.

Rose just stood there for a few moments before whacking his arm "That's for scaring me half to death when you crash landed!" She said glaring at him.

He smiled sheepishly at her "Sorry."

Rose snorted "Just warn me before you go all crazy again, okay?" she asked before muttering something about 'stupid, suicidal Time Lords' under her breath.

The Doctor sniggered at her comments "Now… you've already told me I have 'really great hair'" he teased her, his smile widened as he continued "But how do I look?" his smile faded and his expression turned deadly serious as he added "Am I ginger?"

Rose giggled at his question and said "No, you're just sort of brown..."

The Doctor pouted then, put out "Aww... I always wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger," he pointed at her then "And you, Rose Tyler..." his expression softened as he whispered"You never gave up on me..." he then seemed to realise he was pointing at her "oh, that's rude, that's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude..." he trailed off as he pondered this before he said "Rude and not ginger..." (A.N: I just had to add this conversation and it didn't fit anywhere else...)

She smirked at him then as she quoted her leather Doctor "You're a bit pretty,"

He snorted as he recognised the words of his former self "So a bit pretty, with really great hair… the complete opposite of my old self…" The Doctor trailed off uncertainly.

"He - You -" Rose stumbled over her words before she eventually decided on saying "He said that you would still be him… just changed… Are you still my Doctor?" She asked finally.

The Doctor's face softened "If you want me… I love you, Rose Tyler" Her breath hitched as she heard the words she hadn't even got to hear the last time she had seen him when they were stood on the beach in the parallel world "I will love you, no matter what regeneration I am… no matter who I change into."

Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek at his words causing the Doctor's eyes to widen in alarm.

She wrapped her arms around his neck before he could do anything and pulled his head down so his lips met her own as she kissed him, pouring everything she felt into that one kiss so he could understand how much she wanted and needed him.

The Doctor groaned softly as she finally pulled away "… My Doctor." She said after getting her breath back, her love for him showing in those two words.

He rested his head against hers for a moment before he asked "So, what've I missed?"

"Well… I think there was an alien on the news," She replied causing the Doctor's head to shoot up in alarm.

Rose explained what she could about the Santas and the Christmas tree without him getting too suspicious and then explained about the space probe that had been sent out.

"I think Mickey's trying to hack into the military…" She trailed off as she noticed him smiling at her "What?"

"You handled yourself well…"

She shifted uncomfortably "You were unconscious and I wasn't sure if I should wake you up, so I used the sonic and hoped for the best…"

The Doctor snorted "That's usually what I do… walk into a situation and hope for the best." He grinned at her.

Rose grinned back at her pinstriped Doctor "Anyway shouldn't you change? Or are you gonna save the world in your pyjamas?" She teased him.

He snorted "Wait here, I'll be ready soon…"

OoOoOo

Rose tapped her foot against the floor of the TARDIS as she waited for the Doctor to get ready.

Eventually he sauntered back into the console room in his pinstriped suit, brown trench coat and converse.

Rose looked him up and down appreciatively before she realised what she was doing and looked up at his face… which was staring back at her clearly showing his amusement at her 'appreciation'.

"I take it you approve?" He smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes as she blushed "You're gonna get a slap, you are…"

The Doctor winced as he remembered the red hand print on Adam's face after Rose had slapped him making Rose grin at him.

"Shall we?" He asked instead, holding out his arm to her.

She gave him her tongue in tooth grin as she linked her arm into his and allowed him to lead her out.

OoOoOo

"Mum? Mickey?" Rose shouted as her and the Doctor made their way into the flat.

"I thought you were staying with the Doctor?" Jackie asked before she wandered into the hall and saw them both "Oh, you're awake then?"

"It appears so." The Doctor stated awkwardly.

Mickey snorted from behind Jackie "Take a look in here," He interrupted "I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, and it's coming this way."

The Doctor followed Mickey into the living room, Rose close behind him as they looked at the laptop.

"What are they coming for?" Rose asked curiously.

The Doctor looked at her thoughtfully "It's hard to say, they could be coming out of curiosity - though that's probably wishful thinking, especially since you said they roared at you - or they could be like the Slitheen or the Gelth out to destroy earth for their own gain."

Rose nodded as an image popped up on to the screen; of four Sycorax speaking.

"Have you seen them before?" Mickey asked.

"Sycorax," The Doctor informed them.

"Harriett Jones is Prime Minister now…" Rose suddenly remembered causing the Doctor to look at her "She'll be looking at what we are now and wondering where you are, Doctor."

He nodded "We should get going then."

"I'm coming too," Mickey volunteered and the Doctor grinned at him.

Jackie stared at the three of them "Be careful, all of you," she said eventually, "and phone when you've saved the world."

Rose and Mickey sniggered as the Doctor beamed at her.

OoOoOo

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS when it materialized, grinning when she saw Harriet Jones stood in front of her with Indra Garnesh and several other people staring at her in shock.

Harriet rushed over and pulled her into a hug, Indra hugged her when Harriet had released her.

Mickey walked out then, followed by the Doctor.

Indra and Harriet looked at the three of them before they turned to the only person they recognised, "Where's the Doctor, Rose?" Indra asked.

Rose grinned at them and pointed to her pinstriped Doctor "This is him, same man, different face…"

"Impossible." Harriet gasped in disbelief.

Rose smiled at them "I saw him change, it's still the Doctor."

Harriet and Indra gaped at them before they regained their composure.

"Well then… Doctor, I suppose you're here because of the-"

"Sycorax, yes…"

The Major stepped forward then "They're called Sycorax?" He asked.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at him as he nodded.

"Major Blake, sir." Blake saluted him.

Rose grinned as the Doctor groaned "No salutes please."

"I-I'm David Llewellyn" The man from the news report stepped forward as he introduced himself nervously.

Harriet introduced blonde-haired woman at her side "This is Sally Jacobs and I assume you remember Indra Garnesh, he's my personal assistant now." She added happily

Rose grinned at them "Of course," She points at Mickey then "This is Mickey Smith."

Indra interrupts then "Prime Minister…"

Harriet turned to look at him "Has it worked?"

He nodded "Just about." Indra placed a laptop he was holding down on a desk and showed Blake, Harriet, Llewellyn, Mickey, Rose and the Doctor the screen.

"'People…' that could be 'cattle'… 'you belong to us. To the Sycorax. We own you. We now possess your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock' - as in the modern sense, they rock."

Llewellyn spoke up "'They will die'? Not 'you will die', 'they will die'? Who's they?"

Indra shrugged, looking just as confused as the rest of them "I don't know, but it is the right personal pronoun, it's they."

Harriet frowned "Send them our reply. Tell them… 'this is a day of peace on planet Earth.' Tell them… 'we extend that peace to the Sycorax'."

Indra nodded, taking notes.

Harriet looked at the Doctor and Rose then "And then tell them… 'this planet is armed and we do not surrender.'"

Sally nodded "Come on." She said before walking off with Indra, Blake and Llewellyn behind her.

Harriet, Rose, Mickey and the Doctor looked at the screen again which showed the ship coming closer.

"Telling them you wont surrender will be a declaration of war to the Sycorax," The Doctor informed them suddenly.

The other three looked at him.

"Llewellyn also had a good point… who's 'they'?"

OoOoOo

The sun was rising when they get a response back from the Sycorax.

Blake and Llewellyn stood by Harriet as Sally and Indra approached them "They got the message. Here comes the response." Sally said nodding towards the screen.

They all looked up at the screen where an image of the Sycorax was being transmitted. The leader held out his hand, around which appeared a blue light.

"What was that? Was that a reply?"

Mickey cocked his head to the side "Looked like some sort of energy or… static?"

Llewellyn cut in "Almost like someone casting a spell."

Rose and Mickey both looked around and saw the blue light surrounding the heads of some of the workers.

Rose spoke up "I think we know who 'they' is now…" Gaining the attention of Harriet and the Doctor as she nodded towards the members of UNIT who were affected who were now marching from the room.

The security guards raised their guns at them and prepared to fire.

"Let them pass!" Blake commanded sternly.

"Where are they going?" Llewellyn asked as Sally left the room as well.

Rose looked at the Doctor "The Sycorax said 'They will die' and they're heading upwards…"

The Doctor got her meaning immediately "The roof… they're heading to the roof."

"Why?" Indra asked incredulously as Blake and Llewellyn followed the hypnotised people to the roof.

Rose answered "They said 'surrender or they will die'… whatever that blue light was, it's controlling them and making them go to the roof…" she trailed off and looked at the Doctor who was nodding in agreement.

"They're gonna make them jump!" Mickey exclaimed.

"No…" The Doctor finally spoke "They can make them go up to the roof, but they cant make them jump."

"So why are they making them go to the roof?"

"To scare you into surrendering." The Doctor shrugged.

"I better phone my mum," Rose said, taking her phone out.

"Rose!" She heard her mum shout down the phone, "People are going up to-"

"The roofs, I know… just stay inside yeah? I'll phone you again later…" Rose hung up "She's alright just a bit hysterical."

The Doctor grimaced.

Mickey chuckled "Oh you're both gonna have to deal with 'er at Christmas dinner tonight!"

The Doctor looked alarmed "Christmas dinner!"

"Yeah I promised my mum we'd stay for a bit…" Rose explained with her tongue in tooth grin.

"I'll wait in the TARDIS…" He said.

Mickey snorted.

Rose shook her head "Mum invited you… you have to come."

The Doctor was close to whining as he asked "Do I have to?"

"You know big ears wouldn't have whined like a child." Mickey said with a chuckle.

The Doctor frowned "I'm not whining."

"You're pouting too." Mickey added.

Rose sniggered as the Doctor glared at Mickey. Harriet and Indra just stared at the three of them in disbelief.

"I don't think this is the time for playing around." Harriet interrupted them sternly.

"Yeah, sorry…" The Doctor and Mickey apologised as Rose giggled.

Indra cut in then "It's happening all over the country…" He paused for a moment before he looked between the Doctor and Harriet "It's not just the whole country. It's the whole world."

Harriet and the Doctor both joined Indra at his laptop as he continued "According to reports, it's like a third. One third of the worlds population. That's two billion people ready to jump."

"Ready to jump… but like the Doctor said, they cant make them jump."

Harriet and Indra smiled weakly at that.

"A small comfort I suppose." Harriet said "But how do we free them from the Sycorax's control?"

The Doctor frowned "We'd have to be onboard their ship."

Llewellyn and Blake rejoined them as Indra interrupted "Wait a minute - there is a pattern. All these people tend to be father and son, mother and daughter. Brothers and sisters - family groups, but not husbands and wives."

"Blood control." The Doctor informed them quietly.

"Oh, my God…" Llewellyn whispered "It's Guinevere One. Have you got medical records on file for all your staff?"

"Course we have, yes." Indra replied accessing the medical files.

"Here it is. Sally Jacobs… blood group A Positive. Who else walked out?"

"Luke Parsons." Indra answered after a moment.

Llewellyn typed the name in "Luke Parsons… A Positive."

"Jeffery Baxter."

Llewellyn typed his name in "Baxter… A Positive. That's it, they're all A Positive."

"How many people in the world are A Positive?" Blake asked.

"Presumably one third." The Doctor added "On Guinevere 1 did you add a vial of A Positive?"

Llewellyn nodded "Yes, the Sycorax have a vial of A Positive and through that…"

"They control the blood." Harriet finished his sentence "Any way out of that, Doctor?"

He frowned "Like I said before… we have to get on their ship."

At that moment the ground shook violently and an alarm went off.

"Sonic wave! It's the spaceship - it's hit the atmosphere!" Llewellyn shouted.

The Doctor hurried forward "They're transmitting…"

The Sycorax on the screen spoke in a gruff voice "Will the leader of this world stand forward."

"That's English!" Indra exclaimed.

Rose looked at him "The TARDIS translates alien languages…" she explained to them as Harriet and the Doctor stepped forward together.

"I'm proud to represent this planet." Harriet said confidently.

"Come aboard…"

"Well, how do I do that?" Harriet asked confused.

Harriet, Indra, Blake, Llewellyn, Mickey, Rose, the Doctor and the TARDIS were all bathed in a blue light.

"Wh-What's happening?" Llewellyn stuttered.

"I imagine it's called a teleport." Harriet responded dryly.

The eight of them and the TARDIS were teleported from UNIT onto the Sycorax's spaceship.

Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand and Mickey stood to her other side as they looked around at the thousands of Sycorax surrounding them.

The apparent leader of the Sycorax stepped forward, towards them and removed his helmet.

"It's a helmet!" Llewellyn exclaimed, excitedly "They might be like us!"

His face fell as the helmet was removed and revealed the face underneath which appeared to have the bone and muscle on the outside.

"… Or not."

"You will surrender, or I will release the final curse." The Leader spoke "And your people will jump."

Llewellyn stepped forward then "If I can speak."

Blake grabbed his arm "Mr Llewellyn, you're a civilian!"

The Doctor warned "They wont listen to anyone but the 'leader' who is Harriet… or me."

"No!" Llewellyn protested "I sent out the probe. I started it. I made contact with these people - this whole thing's my responsibility."

The Doctor stepped forward then "Blood control cant make people jump, Llewellyn but if you address the Sycorax I cant be sure that you will survive."

"Be that as it may, Doctor… I brought them to earth with my space probe, I have to try to speak with them." Llewellyn pulled his arm from Blake's grasp and stepped towards the Sycorax leader who was coming down the flight of stairs towards them.

"With respect… sir. The human race is taking its first step towards the stars, but… we are like children compared to you."

The Doctor groaned as the Sycorax leader looked unimpressed towards Llewellyn.

"Children who need help. Children who need compassion. I beg of you now… show that compassion."

"No!" The Doctor shouted helplessly as the Sycorax leader raised a whip and lashed it at Llewellyn. It fastened around his neck and he shouted with pain as he glowed blue - he suddenly fell to the ground, as nothing more than a pile of bones.

Rose gasped in horror and the Doctor looked at her in concern.

Indra and Mickey were standing behind Blake, Harriet, Rose and the Doctor staring in horror at the pile of bones that used to be Llewellyn.

Blake went to step forward but was stopped by Rose "I think they'll only kill you as well if you speak…"

Harriet stepped forward "Harriet Jones. Prime Minister."

The Sycorax leader replied curtly "Yes. We know who you are. Surrender or they will die." He turned his back to them and took his place next to a large red button.

"If I do surrender… how would that be better?"

The Sycorax leader positioned his hand above the red button "Half is sold into slavery or one third dies… Your choice."

The Doctor snorted scornfully causing the Sycorax leader to turn to him angrily and raise his whip lashing it at the Doctor who merely caught the end and pulled it from the Sycorax leader before discarding it.

"And you couldn't have done that in the first place?" Rose whispered quietly.

The Sycorax leader roared again and went to attack him with his staff, which the Doctor snatched off him and snapped over his knee before chucking the broken pieces to the floor.

"Who exactly are you?" The Sycorax leader demanded angrily.

The Doctor shrugged "Well. That's the question."

"I demand to know who you are!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" The Doctor imitated the Sycorax's rough voice making Mickey and Rose snigger.

He relaxed "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I - I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested." He walked around, addressing them all "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?" He looked at Rose "Sexy?" He winked cheekily at her causing her to blush "Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob."

He was stood beside the big red button now "And how am I gonna react when I see this?" He asked with an insane grin on his face "A great big threatening button." He laughed "A Great Big Threatening Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances. Am I right?… Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. 'Cos… I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed… then I just wanna do this." He whacked the button hard.

Blake, Indra, Harriet and Mickey all looked at each other uncertainly as Rose smiled at the Doctor who merely looked towards the Sycorax leader "What do you think, big fella? Are they dead?"

The Sycorax leader replied grudgingly "We allow them to live."

"Allow?" The Doctor laughed "You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is. Cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis - you can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, you cant hypnotise them to death. Survival instincts too strong." He explained to Blake, Indra, Harriet and Mickey who all looked relieved.

The Sycorax leader sneered at him "Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force."

"Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that - of course you could. But why? Look at these people," he gestured to Harriet, Indra, Blake, Rose and Mickey, and began to speak passionately "These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than - no, hold on…" He paused for a moment, thinking "Sorry, that's 'The Lion King'." Rose sniggered at that "But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" The Sycorax leader sneered.

"Or…" He grabbed a sword from one of the Sycorax and ran into an empty space in front of the TARDIS as the humans moved away "I challenge you!"

The Sycorax leader and the other Sycorax burst out laughing.

"Oh, that struck a chord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"

The Sycorax leader sauntered towards him, unsheathing his sword "You stand as this worlds champion."

The Doctor shrugged off his trench coat "Thank-you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." He threw his coat to Rose, who caught it "So - you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?"

The Sycorax leader hissed and they both knelt by their swords.

"For the planet?" The leader glowered at the Doctor.

"For the planet." He agreed.

They stood up and faced each other, holding their swords at the ready and then they ran at each other and began to fight. After a few seconds the Doctor was thrown aside and the Sycorax leader laughed. The Doctor, however, straightened himself up and they began to fight again. The leader swung his sword at the Doctor.

"Look out!" Rose yelled.

"Oh, yeah, that helped. Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise thanks." He responded a tad sarcastically.

"Rude…" Rose muttered as Mickey smirked at her.

They began to fight again, all the humans in the room watched the Doctor anxiously as he lead the fight up the stairs.

"Bit of fresh air?" The Doctor hit a button and a door opened which the Doctor ran through, leading out onto a platform outside of the spaceship.

Rose, Mickey, Harriet, Indra and Blake all followed them out with a few of the Sycorax.

As the fighting continued, the Sycorax leader managed to catch the Doctor slightly on his nose, and he groaned. Rose began forward before she could stop herself and the Doctor raised a hand to stop her "Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet."

He wiped his nose and ran towards the Sycorax leader, clashing swords with him. Both of them grimaced with the effort before the Doctor was knocked backwards to the ground. Taking advantage, the Sycorax leader slashed at the Doctor's wrist and succeeded in cutting his hand off, up to the elbow.

The Doctor watched as it dropped off the side of the spaceship, sword and all before he looked back at the Sycorax leader looking rather stunned and annoyed.

"You cut my hand off."

The leader yelled triumphantly "YAH! Sycorax!"

The Doctor got to his feet "And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. 'Cos quite by chance… I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy… to do this."

He held up his stump of an arm and both the humans and the Sycorax watched in morbid fascination as his hand grew back.

"Witchcraft!" The leader hissed.

"Time Lord." The Doctor smirked at the Sycorax leader.

Rose took one of the other Sycorax's swords and shouted "Doctor!"

As he turned to her she tossed the sword over to him, he caught it by the handle and swirled it around.

"Still the Doctor then?" He winked at her.

She beamed at him "No arguments from me."

The Doctor turned back to the Sycorax leader "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand…" He put a Southern accent on "It's a fightin' hand!"

He ran towards the Sycorax leader and the fight commenced once more, they clashed swords for a few more moments before the Doctor jabbed the leader hard in the stomach causing the leader to groan before he did it twice more.

As the Sycorax leader fell to the floor, the Doctor pointed his sword at his throat.

"I win."

"Then kill me…" The Sycorax leader choked out.

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command: leave this planet and never return. What do you say?"

"Yes."

The Doctor jabbed the sword closer and hissed angrily "Swear on the blood of your species."

"I swear."

The Doctor's voice turned light again "There we are, then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" He jabbed the sword into the ground.

Harriet clapped "Bravo!"

"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose grinned at him, holding his coat out for him to take.

Her eyes widened as she realised the Sycorax leader was getting up behind the Doctor and was picking up his sword.

Her smile faded as he roared with the sword raised, Rose smacked her hand against the button the Doctor had thrown the Satsuma against last time and they all watched as the Sycorax leader fell to Earth, screaming.

The Doctor frowned as he reached her, "no second chances?" he asked.

"He was going to kill you…" She muttered, her love for him reflected in her eyes.

The Doctor studied her, hardly believing how devoted she was to him: she had killed the Sycorax leader for him just as she had killed the Dalek for him in Van Statten's alien 'museum'.

He put his hand against her cheek stroking it softly before he raised her head up and leaned down to kiss her gently "I love you, Rose Tyler…" He whispered against her lips before he re-entered the ship.

Rose, Mickey, Harriet, Blake and Indra followed him and they stopped beside the TARDIS.

The Doctor addressed the remaining Sycorax "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet… when you tell them of its riches - its people - its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell them this: It - is - defended."

A blue light surrounded them all and the TARDIS as they were teleported away.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just round the corner, we did it!" Mickey laughed as he jumped up and down in glee.

The Doctor held his hand out as the spaceships engines started up "Wait a minute… wait a minute…"

The ship took flight, back to the skies. The Doctor grinned.

Mickey laughed gleefully "Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"

Rose jumped on Mickey's back "Yeah! Don't come back!"

"It is defended!"

They laughed happily and Rose ran over to Indra and hugged him grinning widely as the Doctor hugged Harriet.

They all turned to look up at the sky where the spaceship was when Harriet asked "Are there many more out there?"

"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals - this planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed… more and more." The Doctor looked at Harriet "You'd better get used to it."

"Rose!" They heard Jackie shout from down the street, they turned and watched as she ran up to Rose and hugged her tightly "Oh, my God! You did it, Rose! Oh!"

"Oh, my God! It's the bleeding Prime Minister!" Jackie exclaimed when she noticed Harriet.

"Come here, you." The Doctor held his arms out to Jackie who threw her arms around him and Rose and Mickey joined in the group hug laughing.

"I have to say I prefer this version of you…" Jackie decided finally as Mickey snorted.

Rose sniggered as the Doctor's eyes widened.

"It was strange thinking a forty-five year old man was in love with my nineteen year old daughter."

"Mum, he's over 900..." Rose pointed out.

The Doctor shot her a look that plainly said she wasn't helping.

Jackie shrugged "Well, you might have loved him while he was all dark and brooding but-"

Rose cut her off as both her and the Doctor were blushing "Mum, please just stop…"

Mickey sniggered at them both.

The Doctor and Rose both turned to smile at Harriet as Mickey continued to snigger and Jackie continued to embarrass them both.

The four of them jumped then as a beam of green light shot loudly up from the ground nearby, the same green light beamed up from another four points, and the five points met in the middle and the energy shot up into space and hit the spaceship destroying it.

"Oh, my God!" Rose gasped, she had been hoping that she'd prevented Harriet from killing the Sycorax by having the Doctor join them earlier. Mickey held Rose's hand tightly, guessing correctly what her thoughts were as Jackie put her hand over her mouth in shock.

The Doctor looked over at Harriet, his face unreadable and unsmiling as he walked towards her slowly.

"That was murder!" He hissed at her angrily, glaring at her.

"That was defence. Its adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

Rose cut in "They were leaving, the Doctor sent them away!"

Harriet sighed "The Doctor said it himself, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, but you come and go and whilst you were here today, Mr Llewellyn was still murdered and you might not be around the next time we have to face another alien threat. In which case - we have to defend ourselves."

"Britain's Golden Age." The Doctor stated disdainfully.

"It comes with a price." Harriet shot back.

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them the run - as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming: the human race."

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf." Harriet defended as Blake and Indra looked away awkwardly.

"Then we should've stopped you!" Rose exclaimed causing them all to turn to her "They were leaving and you murdered them, that's not right…"

"You killed the Sycorax leader, how is this different?" Harriet asked.

"The leader was going to kill the Doctor, he was going to break the oath he swore on the blood of his species." It wasn't Rose who answered but Mickey who was glaring coldly at Harriet.

Rose smiled weakly at Mickey and took his hand.

Harriet turned back to the Doctor "Then what does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"

The Doctor stepped towards her angrily "Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones. 'Cos I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your government with a single word."

Harriet stared at him in disbelief "You're the most remarkable man I've ever met. But I don't think you're quite capable of that."

"No, you're right. Not a single word." He looked down at her silently for a few seconds "Just six."

"I don't think so."

"Six words."

"Stop it!"

"Six."

They stared at one another for a few moments before the Doctor walked around her and approached Indra, taking off his earpiece and speaking quietly so no one else could hear. He walked back over to Mickey, Rose and Jackie as Harriet looked over to a very confused Indra.

Jackie and Mickey walked ahead of them as Rose took the Doctor's hand nuzzling into his shoulder as Harriet shouted behind them "Doctor! Doctor, what did you - what was - what did he say?! What did you say, Doctor? Doctor?!"

OoOoOo

Rose lay on her bed next to the Doctor "You're so different…" she informed him finally.

The Doctor turned to face her "Is that a bad thing?"

She turned to him and pressed her lips to his, "It's a different thing…"

He chuckled at her vague comment.

"You're still my Doctor, but you're the complete opposite to who you were…" She trailed off, biting her lip as she thought "So… where are we going next, oh mighty Time Lord?" She asked teasingly.

The Doctor sniggered "I got a message on my psychic paper to see someone when I was getting my clothes…"

"Ah… so that's why you took an abnormally long amount of time to get changed?"

"It wasn't an abnor-"

"You took forty-five minutes to change into a suit and trench coat."

He smirked at her "You seemed to appreciate it."

Rose felt her cheeks heating up as she hit his shoulder lightly "Prat…" she muttered softly.

The Doctor sniggered as he sat up and walked around to her side of the bed, he held his hand out to her "Christmas dinner?"

Rose beamed at him and took his hand letting him lead her into the living room where Mickey was carving the turkey and Jackie was putting more food on the table.

OoOoOo

Rose screamed a little as the Christmas cracker she pulled with the Doctor banged. The Doctor passed it over to her "Oh, that's yours…"

She took a pink party hat out of the cracker and placed it on her head "It's pink! Mum, it should be yours!"

"Pink! Lovely!" The Doctor observed smiling at her.

Rose pointed to the TV suddenly "Look it's Harriet Jones!"

They all turned to the TV as the Doctor took a pair of glasses from his pocket.

"Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?" A man asked.

"No." Harriet responded curtly "Now, can we talk about other things?"

The Doctor stood as he put his glasses on, looking sternly at the television as Rose watched him - she suspected he didn't need glasses but she had to admit he looked damn sexy with them on.

"Is it true you're unfit for office?"

"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health! I don't know where these stories are coming from! And a vote of no confidence… is completely unjustified."

"Are you going to resign?"

Harriet looked both confused and frustrated when she answered "On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine."

Jackie interrupted them holding the phone up "It's Bev. She says go and look outside."

The Doctor took his glasses off and turned back to the others, noticing Rose was staring at him causing him to smirk at her.

Rose blushed and looked at her mum "Why?"

"I dunno, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!"

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor lead the way out and looked up into the sky where the 'snow' was falling and 'meteors' appeared to be in the sky.

"What are they?" Rose asked him quietly.

"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere. This isn't snow, its ash." He stared silently at the sky for a few moment before speaking again "This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now - everyone saw it. Everything's new."

She grinned up at him happily, wrapping her arms around his.

"I reckon you're mad." Jackie informed them suddenly causing Mickey, Rose and the Doctor to look at her "The pair of you. It's like you go looking for trouble."

The Doctor rushed over to her "Troubles just the bits in between," he put an arm around her and looked up at the sky "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me." Rose smiled at him "All those planets… creatures and horizons… I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes…" He stood next to Rose again "And it is gonna be… fantastic."

Rose grinned at the use of his old catchphrase and he grinned back, holding his hand out to her which she took as she stepped closer to him, brushing the snow off his arm before resting her head on his shoulder as they looked up at the sky.

OoOoOo

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you liked what I changed, because I don't think Rose would have woke him up to deal with the Pilot Fish when she knew that waking him up too soon would cause him pain even if he ultimately get better.

I hope you liked how I saved the Major... sorry about killing off Llewellyn but he seemed like the kind of guy to step up and do the 'right' thing even if he was warned away by the Doctor after all the Major warned him off confronting the Sycorax but he went ahead and did it anyway.

I also completely forgot about the whole Satsuma being thrown to kill the Sycorax leader part until I got to it so I made Rose kill him off... which I'm not entirely sure would have been a valid thing to do - her killing the Sycorax's champion and getting away with it so please try to ignore any fault with that.

However I have done another version of this where she does wake him up and it follows the same path as the original episode which I am going to upload soon.


	20. Chapter 14 - The Christmas Invasion

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

This is the Christmas Invasion chapter that mostly follows the episode, I also included Bad Wolf in this one.

I'm sorry it's late but I was on holiday for a bit and now I have philosophy course work which is extremely confusing.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

OoOoOo

**The Christmas Invasion**

Rose stumbled to the floor as the TARDIS crash landed, she barely had time to think as the Doctor immediately rushed through the doors.

"I'm really glad I explained everything to Mickey now…" She muttered as she pulled herself to her feet using one of the coral columns.

As Rose reached the doors she heard the Doctor exclaim "Merry Christmas!"

When she stepped outside, both Mickey and her mum were staring at her pinstriped Doctor in disbelief as he lay unconscious on the ground.

Mickey stood beside her quickly as she shut the doors behind her "This is really the Doctor?" He whispered, his voice showing his uncertainty.

"Yeah… this is my Doctor" Rose smiled at Mickey who glanced back at the strange man.

"Well… I gotta say I feel better about losing you to him than big ears," Mickey finally decided on saying.

Rose snorted "I fell in love with big ears before him,"

Mickey rolled his eyes "Yeah, well… you better explain to your mum what happened to him before she calls an ambulance."

Rose's eyes widened "Oh, God!" she turned and saw her mum still knelt beside the Doctor.

Jackie was staring at the apparent stranger curiously "Who's this then?" She asked softly, "Another 'companion'? Like that Captain? And where's the Captain and that fella of yours?"

Rose smiled fondly at her mum "This is him, this is the Doctor."

"What do you mean, 'this is the Doctor', Doctor who?"

Rose chuckled "I'll explain what I can when we get 'im back to the flat, yeah?"

"I suppose" Jackie relented before she looked at Rose sternly, "But you've got a lot of explaining to do, sweetheart."

OoOoOo

Rose ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair softly as he lay in her bed.

Last time, he had said all it took was a cup of tea for him to fix whatever went wrong with the regeneration but her mum had made him several cups of tea throughout the day when they'd been in the flat and he hadn't woken up then.

Jackie stood in the doorway, just watching how her daughter looked at this man who could change his face… this alien who took her away on life-threatening adventures. She could see Rose's love for this… Doctor, as clear as day in her eyes and she couldn't find it in herself to hate this man who had claimed her Rose's heart so completely. He had tried to send her away from danger… and for that she almost loved this strange alien who had walked into their lives.

Jackie walked over after a few moments and sat on the bed next to Rose, handing her a stethoscope "Here we go. Tina the Cleaner's got this lodger, medical student. And she was fast asleep, so I just took it."

Rose smiled faintly as she put the stethoscope in her ears and placed it on one side of the Doctors chest before she moved it to the other side.

"Both working…" She said, cutting her mum off "And he doesn't need to go to the hospital, mum."

Jackie stared at her for a few moments before her daughter's words registered in her mind "Both? What d'you mean both?"

"He's got two hearts,"

Jackie just looked at her as if she was stupid and opened her mouth to speak before Rose cut her off.

"He's an alien, mum… he's gonna be a little different," She added as she walked out of the room.

Jackie stared at the Doctor for a moment before following after her.

"How can he go changing his face?"

Rose looked back at Jackie and explained "The Doctor called it Regeneration… he said it's a way for his people to cheat death, they change every cell in their body until they become a new person with a new personality but he's still the Doctor with the same feelings and-"

Jackie cut her off "How can you be so sure, sweetheart?"

Rose looked down trying to think of an explanation that would appease her mother without her actually explaining how she knew for definite that this was still the Doctor, "Because before he changed, my Doctor told me he was ultimately the same man just with a different face…"

"And you accept that?"

Rose looked up at her mum but saw only concern instead of accusation and she smiled softly "He wouldn't lie to me… and if I don't believe he's the same man then it means I killed my Doctor…"

"You… killed him?" Jackie asked, concern laced her voice.

"When we opened the heart of the TARDIS, I absorbed the Time Vortex into my mind and became the Bad Wolf but the power… it was burning my mind so the Doctor took it from me and by doing that he sacrificed his life and changed into this new Doctor."

Jackie stared wide-eyed at her daughter, her respect for this man was rising… from what Rose said, he gave up who he was to save her life.

Jackie wrapped her arms around Rose "Oh, sweetheart… if you believe that man is still the Doctor, then that's good enough for me I suppose."

Rose beamed at her "It is…" She trailed off when she realised she had to tell her mum about Bad Wolf.

She took Jackie's hand and lead her into the living room where Mickey was sat with his laptop.

"There's something else I need to tell you both…" She said softly, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

Mickey took her free hand as Jackie continued to hold her other hand.

"Whatever you have to say, Rose… just say it, it won't change anything with us," Mickey assured her and nodded at Jackie.

"He's right sweetheart, besides it cant be stranger than you being in love with an alien, can it?" She joked with a faint smile.

Rose snorted and finally looked up at Mickey and her mum "Bad Wolf… told me something…"

"Told you what?" Mickey urged her to speak.

"I'm frozen." She continued after a few moments of silence.

Mickey understood, in Cardiff she had told him about her wish to give the Doctor forever and to stay with him for the rest of her life.

Jackie however looked even more confused than before as Mickey hugged Rose to him.

"I'm happy for you both," He whispered softly, his eyes showing he was genuinely pleased for her… but there was also some sadness as well, as he remembered his own relationship with her which was cut short by the Doctor.

"Thank you…" Rose smiled at him and hugged him back tightly.

Jackie finally spoke up "You're… frozen?" Confusion was etched onto her face as she asked the question.

Mickey chuckled as Rose smiled sheepishly at her mum, she had forgotten Jackie wouldn't exactly know what that meant "It means I'm frozen at 19, forever… it means I can stay with the Doctor without worrying about aging… or dying" she added the latter as she remembered Jack.

Jackie gaped at her.

Rose's smile dropped and she looked at Mickey who just shrugged at her.

"Mum?" She asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

Jackie batted her daughters hand away and just asked simply "And this is what you really want?"

"I want to be with the Doctor… I promised him forever and Bad Wolf gave me that…" Rose answered honestly.

Jackie nodded before hugging Rose "Well, you have to promise to visit every now and then… Christmas especially, and birthdays" she ordered firmly, trying not to cry at the knowledge that she truly had lost her daughter to this man.

Rose felt tears running down her own cheeks as she hugged her mum back fiercely "Every year" she agreed, her voice filled with emotion.

"Not sure the Doctor would agree to that," Mickey sniggered.

Rose giggled as Jackie rolled her eyes.

Rose opened her mouth to speak when she realised Harriet Jones, like last time, was speaking on the TV.

"Harriet Jones?" She asked, winking at Mickey "Is she Prime Minister now then?"

Jackie nodded "I'm eighteen quid a week better off. They're calling it 'Britain's Golden Age'." She smiled at Rose "Keep on saying 'my Rose has met her'."

Rose grinned at her "Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones…" She trailed off, remembering Downing Street fondly before she frowned at the memory of how she destroyed the Sycorax in the last timeline even after they had agreed to go… she really had to heal the Doctor faster this time.

"Wanna go Christmas shopping, Rose?" Mickey asked motioning to Jackie who was on her way back into the kitchen.

"Do you actually want to bump into robot Santa's?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

Mickey shrugged sheepishly "I'm curious about this 'exciting' life-threatening life of yours, Rose."

She snorted "Yeah I suppose murderous Santas is a good way to start, besides the sooner we get rid of the Pilot Fish the sooner we can focus on the Doctor," she paused a moment "Mum, me and Mickey are going shopping," Rose shouted into the kitchen.

"Okay, sweetheart… don't be too late home, after he wakes up I doubt I'll be seeing too much of you" She added the latter part sadly.

OoOoOo

"So… you gonna tell me about what you changed on your recent adventures?" Mickey asked curiously.

Rose arched an eyebrow at him "What've I told you so far?"

"Up to where I go with you and the Doctor to a parallel world," Mickey shrugged.

"Okay, well I saved Captain Jack again as you know from Cardiff…" She trailed off.

"He's the immortal one?"

"Yup… but this time Bad Wolf gave him a gift, he had a lover last time but because he couldn't die, he was destined to be alone in a sense but this time his lover will be with him for as long as he lives." Rose was smiling as she spoke, remembering the happiness on her Captain's face as she had informed him that he wouldn't have to be alone forever.

"Wow… you really love them both don't you?"

Rose frowned at him "What d'you mean?"

"You are giving the Doctor his forever and you gave the Captain and his lover immortality… you didn't want him to die."

"I couldn't imagine Jack or the Doctor dying, ever." Rose frowned, her heart ached at the mere mention of either one of them dying permanently - regenerations she could live with because underneath the change he was still the Doctor - and Jack, well she had stopped him from ever dying… though how he became the Face of Boe was a mystery to her.

"Exactly, you love them both,"

"I love you as well…" Rose whispered softly.

"But not as much as the Captain and the Doctor…" Mickey paused "I get that, I really do… it just hurts."

The last word was spoken so quietly, Rose barely heard it. She wrapped her arms around his and whispered "I'm so sorry… I guess I'm just so happy you know and are so accepting that I just… forgot that I broke up with you for him… I mean in the last timeline it was two years since we were together so I didn't even think-"

Mickey cut her off as he heard the guilt in her voice "Rose, don't apologise… you need Jack and the Doctor, not me… I understand that I'm not the Mickey you left back in your first timeline but I'll try to be there for you when Jack and the Doctor can't be…" He hesitated then "Speaking of, where is Jack?"

Rose smiled "Jack should be in Cardiff right now, running Torchwood… according to Bad Wolf, he's running it in honour of me and the Doctor. Bad Wolf also brought him back in time so he could fix things in his life, apparently he knows more than me about the future because he was brought back from later in his life."

"You could visit him?"

Rose smiled sadly "I cant… not until I change what I need to," she answered vaguely, thinking of Canary Warf. Bad Wolf had warned her not to try and find him before then because the timelines would get all messed up.

Mickey just nodded silently, he opened his mouth to speak when Rose gripped his arm tightly "Santa's here…" She hissed to him, nodding over to where the robots were playing 'Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy'.

"Get ready to run," She warned him quietly as the Santas turned to them and stopped playing. There was a few moments of silence before one of the Santas revealed his trumpet to be a flamethrower, the rest of them followed suit as Rose grabbed Mickey's hand and dragged him away, ducking behind a stall.

"We need to find a taxi…" Rose informed him just as one of the Santas blasted the stall they were hiding behind. Mickey lead them away this time as the Santas continued shooting after them, one of them being caught underneath an enormous Christmas tree which had been knocked down by one of the others.

Mickey dragged Rose down one of the streets as they saw a taxi, Rose motioned for it to stop, as it drew to a stop beside them they both clambered in.

"When we get 'ome we need to get the Doctor to the TARDIS and figure out how to wake him up… last time he said it was something to do with tea but I cant quite remember exactly what it was…" She told Mickey, frustration clear in her voice.

OoOoOo

Mickey threw some money at the driver before him and Rose jumped out of the taxi and ran up towards the flat.

Rose burst through the door quickly, Mickey right behind her as they found Jackie in the living room.

Rose took the phone off her mum and said "Hey, Bev? Look, it'll have to wait," before she hung up, handing the phone back to her mum, "Sorry, mum but it's important… we need to get the Doctor down to the TARDIS-"

She was cut of by Mickey "Where'd you get that Christmas tree from?"

Rose froze and looked at the brand new Christmas tree in the living room, how could she have forgotten the bloody big Christmas tree that had attempted to kill them last time.

Jackie turned to look at it as well "Well, I thought it was you!"

"How can it be us?" Mickey asked incredulously.

Jackie shrugged "Well, you went out shopping, there was a ring at the door and there it was!"

"Mum, it wasn't us…" Rose responded, still staring at the tree.

"Then who was it…?"

They all stared at the tree, Mickey and Rose pulled Jackie behind them as the tree lit up.

"Go to the Doctor," Rose ordered.

Mickey nodded and grabbed Jackie's arm, pulling her down to Rose's bedroom where the Doctor lay unconscious as the tree started to spin, slowly at first but speeding up rapidly.

Rose backed away as the tree spun towards her, reducing the coffee table to splinters within seconds.

"Come on, Rose!" Mickey shouted from within her bedroom, Rose could hear Jackie protesting and telling them they should get out now before the tree reached them.

Rose rolled her eyes and rushed into her bedroom quickly, shutting the door behind her "Help me move this," She motioned to the wardrobe and Mickey and Jackie both got up to move it in front of the door.

The three of them jumped as they heard glass breaking, outside the door.

Mickey and Jackie pushed the wardrobe against the door and held it there as Rose took the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's leather jacket and rushed over to the Doctors side.

She flinched as the wardrobe started to shake as the Christmas tree attempted to break through. Jackie shouted out as it finally smashed through the wardrobe, Mickey dragged her over to a corner away from the tree.

Jackie's voice rose squeakily as she exclaimed fearfully "I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!"

Rose looked desperately towards the sonic screwdriver but couldn't for the life of her figure out which setting would destroy the murderous Christmas tree.

She closed her eyes helplessly as she placed the sonic in his hand and leaned down next to the Doctor and whispered in his ear "Help me…"

Rose drew back as the Doctor shot up suddenly and pointed the sonic screwdriver towards the Christmas tree making it explode.

Rose, Mickey and Jackie all sighed in relief as the Doctor lowered the sonic screwdriver, asking curiously "Remote control. But who's controlling it?"

OoOoOo

The three of them followed the Doctor out onto the balcony as he secured a dressing gown around him.

They saw three Santas on the ground below them "That's them!" Mickey exclaimed "What are they?"

Rose and Mickey glanced at the Doctor who merely raised his sonic screwdriver threateningly in their direction causing them to back away before they teleported out.

Mickey laughed in relief "They've just gone! What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offence, but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdrivers gonna scare them off."

"Pilot Fish." The Doctor informed them quietly.

"What?" Mickey asked.

"They were just Pilot Fish." He repeated before he coughed and threw himself backwards against the wall.

Rose and Mickey knelt either side of him quickly.

"What's wrong?!" Rose urged him to tell her, hoping this time he would somehow know what exactly would help him get better.

The Doctor was panting as he responded "You woke me up too soon." His face contorted in pain for a moment "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy." Some of the time vortex escaped from his mouth at his words. "You see? The Pilot Fish could smell it. A million miles away. So they eliminate the defence - that's you lot - and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of year-" He cut himself off as he lurched forward suddenly, groaning.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Jackie panicked.

"My head!" The Doctor said through gritted teeth "I'm having a neuron implosion. I need -"

Jackie cut him off frantically "What do you need?"

"I need -"

"Say it, tell me, tell me-"

"I need -"

"Painkillers?"

"I need -"

Rose could hear the frustration and pain in the Doctor's voice as he was continually cut off by Jackie.

"Do you need aspirin?"

"I -"

"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I dunno- Pepto-Bismol?"

Rose and Mickey would have laughed if the Doctor hadn't been in such obvious pain.

"I need -"

"Liquid paraffin. Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?"

"I need -"

Jackie's voice rose hysterically "Is it food? Something simple? Uh - a bowl of soup? A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?"

"I need you to shut up!" The Doctor finally managed to get out.

Rose snorted as her mum merely replied indignantly "Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?"

The Doctor lurched forward again and leant against the opposite wall, panting he said "We haven't got much time. If there's Pilot Fish, then -" He stopped talking as he removed an apple from the pocket of his dressing gown, he looked up at Jackie and asked curiously "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"Oh, that's Howard, sorry."

"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?"

Jackie shrugged "He gets hungry."

The Doctor looked at the apple confusedly "What, he gets hungry in his sleep?"

"Sometimes."

The Doctor suddenly shouted with pain again as he sank to the floor with a grimace.

"Brain - Collapsing -" He grabbed hold of Rose's upper arms and held them tightly as he informed her through gritted teeth "P- the Pilot Fish. The Pilot Fish mean… that something- something," He took a deep breath "Something's coming…" He warned ominously before he collapsed into Rose's lap.

Rose ran her hands through his hair gently as she looked up at her mum and Mickey "Well, help me get 'im inside then." She said with a smile at Mickey.

Mickey chuckled and picked up his legs as Jackie opened the door for them.

When they got the Doctor back into Rose's bed, Mickey went to set up his laptop in the living room as Rose tucked the Doctor in, mopping his head with a flannel.

Rose sighed softly, hating that she had to make things worse for the Doctor, hating that she didn't know how to wake him up properly.

She heard Mickey speak to her mum in the living room "Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that alright?"

Rose listened as her mum replied "Yeah. Keep a count of it."

Rose walked in as Jackie set a cup of tea down next to Mickey, she looked up at her daughter and said softly "It's midnight. Christmas day." Jackie handed Rose the other cup of tea she had been holding as she sat down on the arm of a chair. "Any change?"

Rose sighed softly "He's worse. Just one heart beating."

Jackie placed a hand on Rose's shoulder as she squeezed it comfortingly before she sat on the chair next to her.

They sat in silence watching the news report for a few minutes before Mickey spoke "Here we go, Pilot Fish."

Both Rose and Jackie walked over to Mickey whose gaze was affixed to his laptop as he continued "Scavengers, like the Doctor said. Harmless - they're tiny, but the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish."

Jackie furrowed her brows in confusion "You mean like sharks?"

"Great big sharks. So, what the Doctor means is, we had them…" he paused as they looked at the little fish on the screen "Now we get that." he finished as an animation of a shark came on screen and snapped viciously.

"Something is coming…" Rose repeated the Doctor's words quietly as the TV became static.

"How close?" Rose asked.

"There's no way of telling, but the Pilot Fish don't swim far from their daddy."

"So, close then." Rose said causing Mickey to grin at her.

Mickey was cut off from replying by Jackie saying "Funny sort of rocks."

Both Rose and Mickey exchanged a look before they turned to her and Rose said "That's not rocks…"

The image started to become clearer as the three of them leaned closer before it was thrown into clarity showing the Sycorax clearly as it roared viciously at them making them jump backwards.

Rose breathed deeply as she put a hand over her chest, she whispered to Mickey "Knew it was coming but it was still scary…"

Mickey snorted before he went back to his laptop. Rose perched on the edge of his chair as she waited for him to hack into the military.

Finally Mickey said "I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, and its coming this way."

"Well, whatever it's coming for… we'll stop it - me, you and the Doctor." Rose informed Mickey confidently.

Mickey grinned, both pleased and worried that she had such confidence in him. Pleased because when she had left him the first time - he inwardly cringed as he thought about it - he had thrown his arms around her legs like a child and called the man she loved a thing, and he was worried because what if he didn't live up to her expectations.

Mickey inwardly frowned at his thoughts, he still loved Rose with all his heart… god-knows at first he'd hated her when she'd ran off with the Doctor but after Cardiff, he understood why she had.

From what she'd said she had lost her Doctor and had fought to fix that and Mickey couldn't hate her for that because that's who she was and if he was honest with himself, Rose and the Doctor, the Doctor and Rose… well that made more sense than him and Rose, they just fit together and even though it hurt that it wasn't him that could make her happy any more, he'd work his hardest to keep her and the Doctor from being separated again.

Mickey was brought out of his thoughts as an image of four Sycorax came up onto the screen.

"What are they then?" Mickey whispered to Rose.

"Sycorax…" Rose muttered back "This is the first time we've come across 'em." She added a little louder.

Jackie came over then "First time you've come across who?" she asked curiously.

"These aliens…" Rose clarified, she trailed off as the Sycorax started to speak and frustration built up in her as she realised that she still couldn't understand them.

She felt the TARDIS hug her mentally as Bad Wolf's song sounded in the back of her mind. (A.N. Think of the Doctor's theme for 9 and 10.)

Rose sighed, closing her eyes as she listened to the music that was so hauntingly beautiful.

"I don't understand what they're saying…" Rose finally admitted when she realised both Mickey and Jackie were looking at her.

"Well, no good just sitting here doing nothing… go and get some sleep sweetheart, you look like you haven't slept in days." Jackie said.

Rose smiled faintly and walked into her bedroom where the Doctor was sleeping fitfully and settled down in the chair next to the bed before she closed her eyes.

OoOoOo

Rose groaned as she woke up, her neck hurting slightly from the position she had slept in. She stood and ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair, she hated seeing him like this, so helpless. She sighed and walked out into the living room where Mickey was sleeping in one of the chairs, Rose assumed her mum had gone to bed at some point.

"You're up early, considering how late it was last night…" Mickey said, his voice rough.

Rose smiled slightly "Yeah, well… couldn't sleep for long, not today." 

Mickey nodded as he got up and stretched, "Ah, yeah… the aliens are coming."

Rose rolled her eyes "You forgot?"

"Well, I aint exactly used to aliens invading planets am I?"

She snorted "Suppose not."

Mickey opened his mouth to say something when they heard a woman's voice "What is wrong with you? Jason? Jason?" Her voice was almost pleading as she repeated the name.

Rose and Mickey rushed over to the door and poked their heads out "Sandra?" Rose asked.

Sandra turned to face Rose, tears in her eyes "He wont listen! He's just walking, he wont stop walking!" Sandra turned back to where Jason was walking ahead "There's this sort of… light, thing. Jason? Stop it!"

Rose and Mickey stepped out of the door and followed Sandra and Jason.

"Right now!" Sandra demanded shakily.

Mickey and Rose looked over the balcony to see the dozens of people walking, hypnotised by the same blue light.

They finally reach the roof as Sandra, in tears, spoke up again "Jason, I'm talking to you! Just stop!"

Jason stopped at the edge of the roof as Sandra tried to pull him away.

Rose and Mickey walked to the edge and looked around.

"What do we do?" Mickey muttered to Rose.

"We wait." Rose whispered back, "They wont die, you cant hypnotize someone to death" She assured Mickey when she saw his incredulous expression. "Come on, no good freezing out 'ere." Rose said, grabbing Mickey's hand as she dragged him back inside.

OoOoOo

Jackie came into the living room groggily as Rose brought her and Mickey a cup of tea.

"Harriet Jones." Mickey muttered as he nodded towards the TV.

Rose remembered she had broken down last time after she had watched this, mistakenly thinking that she had lost her Doctor.

The windows suddenly smashed and showered the floor with glass, the ground shaking violently.

Rose, Mickey and Jackie stepped out onto the balcony as a huge spaceship floated into view, obscuring the sun as it hovered right over London.

Rose turned to Jackie and Mickey "Right, we need to get the Doctor to the TARDIS."

Jackie looked hysterical as she shouted "What're we gonna do in there?"

"Hide." Rose responded simply.

"Is that it?!"

"When the Doctor wakes up, in order for him to save the world we need to be on the TARDIS!" Rose hissed back, immediately feeling guilty for speaking like that to Jackie "Sorry… but just help us get him to the TARDIS."

Jackie nodded finally "Alright."

OoOoOo

Rose had just told her mum to bring a flask of tea remembering that had something to do with the Doctor waking up, but other than that she made no mention of food to her mum although she wasn't entirely sure she wanted her mum on the TARDIS when they were going to go to a ship full of hostile aliens.

Rose was broken out of her thoughts as they finally managed to get the Doctor onto the TARDIS.

"No chance you could fly this thing?" Mickey asked.

Though Rose was sure that Bad Wolf and the TARDIS would be able to guide her if need be she smiled as said "Not anymore, no."

"Well, you did it before…"

Rose just shrugged noncommittally before she joked "Try that again and I think the universe rips in half."

Mickey grinned "Ah, better not, then."

"Maybe not."

"So, what do we do? Just sit here?"

"Yup!" Rose agreed cheerily.

Jackie held out the thermal flask and offered it to Rose as she said "Right, here we go. Nice cup of tea."

Rose grinned and passed the flask over to Mickey "I'll go get some mugs from the kitchen."

OoOoOo

When she was in the kitchen she heard Bad Wolf whisper "Spill the tea next to the Doctor…" Rose frowned, how the hell would spilling tea help the Doctor… but she supposed Bad Wolf knew better than she did about this.

She brought four mugs into the console room and gave two to Jackie as Mickey poured out the tea for him and Jackie before pouring the tea into the two mugs in Rose's hands.

"Thanks." Rose grinned at them both before sitting down next to the Doctor and discretely pouring the tea over the grate next to his head as Bad Wolf directed, mentally apologising to the TARDIS for the mess she was creating.

Rose watched as steam rose from the grates as the tea dripped onto the machinery and frowned as the Doctor inhaled deeply.

"Tea. Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British." Mickey joked before he turned to the TARDIS' computer screen "How does this thing work? It picks up TV, maybe we could see what's going on out there. Maybe we've surrendered."

"Harriet Jones, surrender? Doubt that." Rose said with a grin.

Mickey chuckled "How do you work it?"

Rose shrugged "Press a few buttons on it."

Mickey raised his eyebrows but grinned as Rose winked at him.

The computer bleeped as he pressed random buttons.

"Mum, whatever happens… stay with the Doctor, okay?" Rose asked as Bad Wolf informed her that they were being teleported.

Jackie's eyes widened as Rose spoke before asked "Why?"

"Promise me mum, stay with the Doctor… do not leave the TARDIS."

Jackie frowned, "Okay."

Rose nodded "Good, coming Mickey?" She asked as she grabbed his hand "Remember to shut the door behind us…" she whispered as they reached the door.

Mickey nodded as Rose opened the door and walked out, Mickey followed quickly and shut the door behind him as the Sycorax approached them.

Rose almost grinned as she saw Harriet and her assistant. The Sycorax dragging her and Mickey away from the TARDIS.

"Rose!" Harriet exclaimed as she ran over to her, embracing Rose as she said "Rose! I've got you. My Lord. My precious thing. The Doctor… is he with you?"

Rose nodded as she explained "He was injured after our last adventure but he'll be with us soon."

Harriett nodded, though shock was evident in her feature as she heard that the Doctor was injured.

Though, Rose supposed that it wasn't so shocking, she herself had assumed that the Doctor was invincible at first… in the first timeline she hadn't even thought it possible that the Doctor could die, the fact he had had shocked her to the core which was why she had been so shaken the first time he had regenerated.

As they separated from each other the Sycorax Leader pointed at Rose and addressed her angrily.

Harriett's assistant, Alex translated "The yellow girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet."

"But she cant!" Harriet exclaimed, stepping in front of Rose protectively.

"Yeah, I can… at least until the Doctor gets here." She informed Harriet quietly, squeezing her hand lightly as she stepped towards the Sycorax Leader.

Rose closed her eyes as she attempted to recall what she had said last time, if she remembered rightly she had given the Doctor just enough time to wake up and save them.

"Don't you dare." Mickey said firmly.

"Someone's gotta be the Doctor." Rose replied shakily, despite knowing how this was going to play out she was terrified.

Harriet grabbed her arm "They'll kill you."

Rose shook her off "Never stopped him."

Rose opened her mouth to address the Sycorax Leader when the TARDIS doors suddenly swung open, the Doctor -still in his pyjamas- strode towards Rose, Mickey, Harriet and Alex with Jackie close behind him, shutting the door carefully behind them.

Rose and Mickey both let out a sigh of relief, grinning at the Doctor as Harriet and Alex stared at the two strangers in confusion.

Jackie rushed over to Rose and Mickey "Are you alright, sweetheart?" She asked quietly, glancing warily at the Sycorax Leader who was glaring angrily at them all.

Rose nodded absently as she stared at her Doctor.

"Did you miss me?" Her pinstriped Doctor asked as he stood in front of her.

Rose beamed up at him in response.

The Sycorax Leader, however, roared in fury as he lashed his whip towards the Doctor and Rose which the Doctor simply caught and pulled away from the Leader before he discarded it "You could have someone's eye out with that!" He scolded the Leader, making him roar again as he tried to attack the Doctor with his staff which the Doctor snatched off him before he snapped it over his knee, chucking the broken pieces to the floor "You just cant get the staff. Now, you, just wait. I'm busy."

Rose tried not to snort as the Leader just stared at the Doctor incredulously when the Doctor pointed at him warningly before he walked over to Mickey.

"Mickey! Hello!" He greeted cheerfully before he turned to Harriet "And Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North! Blimely, it's like 'This Is Your Life'!" he rambled before he turned to Rose, beaming "Tea!" he exclaimed "That's all I needed! A good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses…" he paused for a moment, lowering his tone as he asked seriously "Now, first things first, be honest. How do I look?"

"Different." Rose responded simply.

The Doctor asked seriously "Good different or bad different?"

"You don't have big ears anymore." Rose joked as Mickey snorted.

The Doctor turned deadly serious as he asked "Am I… ginger?"

Rose raised her eyes to his hair "No, you're just sort of brown."

The Doctor turned away from her looking a bit put out "Aww, I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger." He turned then, pointing violently at Rose as he said "And you Rose Tyler…" he paused his expression softening "You never gave up on me." He seemed to realise he was pointing then as he lowered his arm saying "oh, that's rude, that's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude…" he trailed off as he pondered this "Rude and not ginger…"

Rose giggled and Mickey grinned at the Doctor as Jackie, Harriet and Alex just stared at him in complete confusion.

Harriet interrupted "I'm sorry - who's this?"

"He's the Doctor." Rose answered.

The Doctor beamed at Rose as he confirmed "I'm the Doctor."

Harriet looked even more confused now "But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?"

The Doctor walked towards her "I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face - well, new everything."

Harriet's brow furrowed ""But you can't be."

"Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street, and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens… wasn't the war… it was the thought of your mother being on her own."

"Oh my God."

The Doctor grinned at her, bending down slightly "Did you win the election?"

Harriet smiled back at him looking quite pleased "Landslide majority."

The Sycorax Leader interrupted then, "If I might interrupt!" He was clearly irritated as the humans and Time Lord all span around to face him after having forgotten about him.

The Doctor stepped towards him "Yes! Sorry! Hello, big fella!"

The Leader sneered at the Doctor "Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor responded with a fixed grin "Well. That's the question."

The Leader was enraged at this lack of response as he roared "I demand to know who you are!"

The Doctor roared back, imitating the Leader's rough voice "I DON'T KNOW!" He relaxed then as he continued "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I- I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested." He walked around, addressing everyone "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?"

He looked at Rose "Sexy?" He winked cheekily at her as she blushed, smiling shyly.

"Right old misery? Life and soul? Right-handed? Left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob."

He looked at the massive red button at the top of some stairs then "And how am I gonna react when I see this?" He pointed up at the button with an insane grin "A great big threatening button."

He ran up the stairs laughing "A Great Big Threatening Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances. Am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix? Hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?"

He bent down and pulled open a small door to access the controls underneath the button, noticing the red liquid inside.

"And what've we got here? Blood?" He dipped his finger into it and tasted it "Yeah, definitely. Blood. Human blood. A Positive. With just a dash of iron." He waggled his tongue around as he stood up, grimacing at the taste as he wiped his finger on his dressing gown "Ahh. But that means… blood control-" He looked absolutely delighted as he exclaimed "Blood control! Oh! I havent seen blood control for years! You're controlling all the A Positives!"

The Leader's face falls slightly.

"Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. 'Cos… I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Ever Be Pressed… then I just wanna do this." He whacked the button hard.

"No!" Jackie, Harriet and Alex shouted.

Mickey and Rose both stayed silent, Rose knowing what happened and Mickey trusting that Rose would never let the Doctor hurt people.

"You killed them!" Alex yelled at the Doctor.

"What do you think, big fella? Are they dead?" The Doctor asked.

"We allow them to live." The Leader grudgingly admitted.

"Allow?" The Doctor repeated incredulously "You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is. Cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis - you can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, you cant hypnotise them to death. Survival instincts too strong."

The Leader snarled at the Doctor "Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force."

The Doctor cocked his head to the side "Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that - of course you could. But why? Look at these people." He gestured to the humans as he spoke passionately "These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than- no, hold on…" He paused, thinking "Sorry, that's 'The Lion King'. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

The Leader sneered at him "Or what?"

"Or…" The Doctor looked around before he grabbed a sword from one of the Sycorax and ran down the steps into the empty space in front of the TARDIS and raised the sword into the air "I challenge you."

The Leader and the other Sycorax all burst into laughter.

The Doctor looked around calmly "Oh, that struck a cord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"

The Leader walked towards him, slowly unsheathing his sword "You stand as this worlds champion."

The Doctor shrugged off his dressing gown "Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." He tossed his dressing gown over to Rose who caught it.

He turned back to the Leader "So - you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?"

The Leader hissed as they both knelt by their swords "For the planet?"

"For the planet." The Doctor agreed.

They stood up to face each other, holding their swords at the ready before they ran at each other and began to fight. After a few seconds the Doctor was thrown aside as the Leader laughed. The Doctor straightened himself up and started the fight again, the Leader swinging his sword at the Doctor.

"Look out!" Rose yelled.

The Doctor shouted back sarcastically "Oh, yeah, that helped. wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks."

"Rude…" Rose muttered making Mickey chuckle as her mum smiled softly.

Rose grabbed both her mum and Mickey's hand as she watched the Doctor fight.

"Bit of fresh air?" The Doctor asked before hitting a button and running outside.

Rose dragged Mickey and Jackie outside with Alex, Harriet and a few Sycorax following them.

The Leader managed to catch the Doctor slightly on his nose then making the Doctor groan.

Rose began to run forward before she could stop herself, only Mickey was holding her back.

The Doctor raised a hand to stop her "Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet."

He wiped his nose before he ran at the Leader again clashing swords with him, both grimaced with the effort before the Doctor was knocked backwards to the ground which the Leader took advantage off as he slashed at the Doctor's wrist, cutting his hand off up to the elbow.

Jackie gasped in disbelief as the Doctor just watched it drop before he turned to the Leader looking rather stunned and annoyed "You cut my hand off."

"Yah! Sycorax!" The Leader yelled triumphantly.

The Doctor got to his feet "And now I know what kind of man I am. I'm lucky. 'Cos quite by chance… I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy… to do this." He held up his stump of an arm and they all watched as it grew back.

The Leader hissed "Witchcraft!"

"Time Lord." The Doctor corrected.

Rose unsheathed one of the other Sycorax's swords and tossed it over to the Doctor as she shouted "Doctor!"

The Doctor turned and caught it, spinning it around as he asked "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?"

Rose beamed at him "No arguments from me!"

He grinned at her before he faced the Leader again "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand…" he put on a Southern accent then "It's a fightin' hand!"

The Doctor ran at the Sycorax Leader and the fight commenced once more before the Doctor suddenly jabbed the Leader hard in the stomach with the hilt of his sword and repeating the action twice more causing the Leader to groan as he fell to the ground.

The Doctor pointed the sword at the Leader's throat "I win."

"The kill me." The Leader spat out.

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command: leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"

The Leader glowered at the Doctor "Yes."

The Doctor angrily jabbed the sword closer as he said seriously "Swear on the blood of your species."

The Leader's speech was laboured as he replied "I swear."

The Doctor's voice turned light then "There we are, then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" He jabbed the sword in the ground.

Harriet Jones started to clap "Bravo!"

Rose grinned at the Doctor as she practically ran at him throwing her arms around his neck as she whispered "That says it all. Bravo!"

The Doctor smiled happily at Rose as she let go of him "Yeah! Not bad for a man in his jim-jams!" Rose helped the Doctor put his dressing gown on "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here?" Rose giggled as he removed a Satsuma from his pocket "A Satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mothers - he does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?"

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctors as they walked back towards the door, the Doctor throwing the Satsuma up and down with his free hand as he continued to speak "You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old Satsuma. Who wants a Satsuma?"

They heard a roar behind them as the Leader picked up his sword, the Doctor didn't even turn around as he lobbed the Satsuma at a switch on the side of the ship causing the ground beneath the Sycorax Leader to open making the Leader fall to earth screaming.

Rose rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder as his smile faded "No second chances. I'm that sort of a man." He said softly before they enter the ship.

The Doctor stood with Rose in front of the TARDIS as Jackie, Mickey, Harriet and Alex stood a little behind them.

The Doctor addressed the Sycorax then "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when you go back and tell others of this planet… when you tell them of its riches - its people - its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell them this: it - is - defended." He warned them firmly before him, Rose, Mickey, Jackie, Harriet, Alex and the TARDIS were all teleported off the ship.

As the group materialised Rose asked "Where are we?"

Mickey looked around for a moment before he replied "We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just round the corner, we did it!" He laughed and jumped up and down in glee before the Doctor held his hand out.

"Wait a minute… wait a minute…" He said as the spaceships engines started up.

The ship then took flight back up into the skies and the Doctor grinned.

Mickey laughed gleefully as he shouted "Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"

Rose jumped on Mickey's back "Yeah! Don't come back!"

"It is defended!"

Mickey and Rose laughed happily before Rose jumped off his back and hugged a very startled Alex as well as the Doctor hugged Harriet.

They all turned to look up at the sky where the spaceship was when Harriet asked "Are there many more out there?"

"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals - this planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed… more and more." The Doctor looked at Harriet "You'd better get used to it."

The Doctor then turned to Jackie "Come here, you." The Doctor held his arms out to Jackie who threw her arms around him and Rose and Mickey joined in the group hug laughing.

"I have to say I prefer this version of you…" Jackie decided finally as Mickey snorted.

Rose sniggered as the Doctor's eyes widened.

"It was strange thinking a forty-five year old man was in love with my nineteen year old daughter."

"Mum, he's over 900..." Rose pointed out.

The Doctor shot her a look that plainly said she wasn't helping.

Jackie shrugged "Well, you might have loved him while he was all dark and brooding but-"

Rose cut her off as both her and the Doctor were blushing "Mum, please just stop…"

Mickey sniggered at them both.

The Doctor and Rose both turned to smile at Harriet as Mickey continued to snigger and Jackie continued to embarrass them both.

The four of them jumped then as a beam of green light shot loudly up from the ground nearby, the same green light beamed up from another four points, and the five points met in the middle and the energy shot up into space and hit the spaceship destroying it.

"Oh my God!" Rose exclaimed, it had completely slipped her mind that Harriet had done this. Mickey held Rose's hand tightly, guessing correctly what her thoughts were as Jackie put her hand over her mouth in shock.

The Doctor looked over at Harriet, his face unreadable and unsmiling as he walked towards her slowly.

"That was murder!" He hissed at her angrily, glaring at her.

"That was defence. Its adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

Rose cut in "They were leaving, the Doctor sent them away!"

Harriet sighed "The Doctor said it himself, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today - Mr. Llewellyn and the Major. They were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case - we have to defend ourselves."

Rose gasped quietly as she realised two people had still died and Mickey wrapped his arms around her as the Doctor and Harriet continued to argue.

"Britain's Golden Age." The Doctor stated disdainfully.

"It comes with a price." Harriet shot back.

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them the run - as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming: the human race."

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf." Harriet defended as Alex looked away awkwardly.

"Then we should've stopped you!" Rose exclaimed causing them all to turn to her "They were leaving and you murdered them, that's not right…"

Harriet turned back to the Doctor "Then what does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"

The Doctor stepped towards her angrily "Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones. 'Cos I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your government with a single word."

Harriet stared at him in disbelief "You're the most remarkable man I've ever met. But I don't think you're quite capable of that."

"No, you're right. Not a single word." He looked down at her silently for a few seconds "Just six."

"I don't think so."

"Six words."

"Stop it!"

"Six."

They stared at one another for a few moments before the Doctor walked around her and approached Alex, taking off his earpiece and speaking quietly so no one else could hear. He walked back over to Mickey, Rose and Jackie as Harriet looked over to a very confused Alex.

Jackie and Mickey walked ahead of them as Rose took the Doctor's hand nuzzling into his shoulder as Harriet shouted behind them "Doctor! Doctor, what did you - what was - what did he say?! What did you say, Doctor? Doctor?!"

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor went to the TARDIS as Mickey and Jackie went back to the flat.

"Rose-" That's all he got out before Rose was in his arms, hugging him tightly. He chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I missed you…" She whispered quietly before letting him go.

The Doctor grinned at her.

Rose just stood there for a few more moments before whacking his arm "That's for scaring me half to death when you crash landed!" She said glaring at him.

He smiled sheepishly at her "Sorry."

Rose snorted "Just warn me before you go all crazy again, okay?" she asked before muttering something about 'stupid, suicidal Time Lords' under her breath.

The Doctor sniggered at her comments, before he asked seriously "Now… you've already told me I have 'really great hair'" he teased her, his smile widening as he continued "But how do I look?"

She smirked at him "You're a bit pretty,"

He snorted as she quoted his old self "So a bit pretty, with really great hair… the complete opposite of my old self…" The Doctor trailed off uncertainly.

"He - You -" Rose stuttered before she eventually decided on saying "He said that you would still be him… just changed… Are you still my Doctor?" She asked finally.

The Doctor's face softened "If you want me… I love you, Rose Tyler" Her breath hitched as she heard the words she hadn't even got to hear the last time she had seen him when they were stood on the beach in the parallel world "I will love you, no matter what regeneration I am… no matter who I change into."

Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek at his words causing the Doctor's eyes to widen in alarm.

She wrapped her arms around his neck before he could do anything and pulled his head down so his lips met her own as she kissed him, pouring everything she felt into that one kiss so he could understand how much she wanted and needed him.

The Doctor groaned softly as she finally pulled away "… My Doctor." She said after getting her breath back, her love for him showing in those two words.

The Doctor smiled down at her "Wait here, I'll just go and change…"

OoOoOo

Rose tapped her foot against the floor of the TARDIS as she waited for the Doctor to get ready.

Eventually he sauntered back into the console room in his pinstriped suit, brown trench coat and converse.

Rose looked him up and down appreciatively before she realised what she was doing and looked up at his face… which was staring back at her clearly showing his amusement at her 'appreciation'.

"I take it you approve?" He smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes as she blushed "You're gonna get a slap, you are…"

The Doctor winced as he remembered the red hand print on Adam's face after Rose had slapped him making Rose grin at him.

"Shall we?" He asked instead, holding out his arm to her.

She gave him her tongue in tooth grin as she linked her arm into his and allowed him to lead her out.

OoOoOo

Rose lay on her bed next to the Doctor "You're so different…" she informed him finally.

The Doctor turned to face her "Is that a bad thing?"

She turned to him and pressed her lips to his, "It's a different thing…"

He chuckled at her vague comment.

"You're still my Doctor, but you're the complete opposite to who you were…" She trailed off, biting her lip as she thought "So… where are we going next, oh mighty Time Lord?" She asked teasingly.

The Doctor sniggered "I got a message on my psychic paper to see someone when I was getting my clothes…"

"Ah… so that's why you took an abnormally long amount of time to get changed?" 

"It wasn't an abnor-"

"You took forty-five minutes to change into a suit and trench coat."

He smirked at her "You seemed to appreciate it."

Rose felt her cheeks heating up as she hit his shoulder lightly "Prat…" she muttered softly.

The Doctor sniggered as he sat up and walked around to her side of the bed, he held his hand out to her "Christmas dinner?"

Rose beamed at him and took his hand letting him lead her into the living room where Mickey was carving the turkey and Jackie was putting more food on the table.

OoOoOo

Rose screamed a little as the Christmas cracker she pulled with the Doctor banged. The Doctor passed it over to her "Oh, that's yours…"

She took a pink party hat out of the cracker and placed it on her head "It's pink! Mum, it should be yours!"

"Pink! Lovely!" The Doctor observed smiling at her.

Rose pointed to the TV suddenly "Look it's Harriet Jones!"

They all turned to the TV as the Doctor took a pair of glasses from his pocket.

"Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?" A man asked.

"No." Harriet responded curtly "Now, can we talk about other things?"

The Doctor stood as he put his glasses on, looking sternly at the television as Rose watched him - she suspected he didn't need glasses but she had to admit he looked damn sexy with them on.

"Is it true you're unfit for office?"

"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health! I don't know where these stories are coming from! And a vote of no confidence… is completely unjustified."

"Are you going to resign?"

Harriet looked both confused and frustrated when she answered "On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine."

Jackie interrupted them holding the phone up "It's Bev. She says go and look outside."

The Doctor took his glasses off and turned back to the others, noticing Rose was staring at him causing him to smirk at her.

Rose blushed and looked at her mum "Why?"

"I dunno, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!"

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor lead the way out and looked up into the sky where the 'snow' was falling and 'meteors' appeared to be in the sky.

"What are they?" Rose asked him quietly.

"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere. This isn't snow, its ash." He stared silently at the sky for a few moment before speaking again "This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now - everyone saw it. Everything's new." 

She grinned up at him happily, wrapping her arms around his.

"I reckon you're mad." Jackie informed them suddenly causing Mickey, Rose and the Doctor to look at her "The pair of you. It's like you go looking for trouble."

The Doctor rushed over to her "Troubles just the bits in between," he put an arm around her and looked up at the sky "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me." Rose smiled at him "All those planets… creatures and horizons… I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes…" He stood next to Rose again "And it is gonna be… fantastic."

Rose grinned at the use of his old catchphrase and he grinned back, holding his hand out to her which she took as she stepped closer to him, brushing the snow off his arm before resting her head on his shoulder as they looked up at the sky.

OoOoOo

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Please tell me which you preferred this one or the alternate one!

I will be following on from the alternate one but I may also include more things with Bad Wolf communicating with Rose.


	21. Chapter 15 - New Earth

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

OoOoOo

**New Earth**

Rose hugged her mum and Mickey goodbye as the Doctor waited for her on the TARDIS.

"Have you got everything?" Jackie asked quietly.

Rose smiled and assured her "I've got everything, don't worry."

"Be careful, sweetheart." Jackie told Rose sternly, concern clear on her face.

Rose hugged her again "Okay, I'm going now. I love you!"

Rose kissed Jackie on the cheeks as her mum said "I love you."

She then turned and gave Mickey a hug and a kiss on the cheek "I'll miss you." She whispered softly before she let go of him, stepping back as she grinned at them both.

"Love you, love you!" Rose shouted back at them as she bounded into the TARDIS, closing the door quietly behind her as she shrugged her rucksack from her shoulders, beaming at the Doctor when he finally noticed her. He grinned back and pulled a lever harder than necessary as she walked towards him.

Rose leaned over the console towards the Doctor as she said "So, to this old friend of yours, Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned at her "To further than we've ever gone before."

OoOoOo

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS arm in arm with the Doctor as she materialised.

"It's the year five billion and twenty three… we're in the galaxy M87, and this… this is New Earth." The Doctor said as he smirked at her.

Rose laughed as she looked up at the flying vehicles zooming above them "That's just… that's-" She cut herself off as she laughed gleefully.

The Doctor nodded "Not bad. Not bad at all!"

"It's amazing!" Rose exclaimed happily "I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet!" She jumped up and down excitedly "Different sky!… What's that smell?"

The Doctor grinned at her excitement before he bent down and pulled up some grass and showed it to her "Apple grass."

"Apple grass!" Rose said, just as delighted as the first time she had been here.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"That's beautiful!" She sighed happily and gazed up at the Doctor with a wide smile "I love this, travelling with you… I love it."

"Me too." He responded simply before he captured her lips in a soft kiss, his hands falling to her waist as she ran her hands through his hair.

Rose giggled as she pulled away "I love that too…"

The Doctor laughed and nodded "Me too."

She grinned at him as he grabbed her hand and pulled her ahead "Come on!"

The Doctor laid his coat on the grass before he lay sprawled on top of it, Rose next to him with her head on his shoulder.

"So, the year five billion - the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted."

"That was our first date." Rose pointed out with a grin.

The Doctor grinned "We had chips!"

They laughed before the Doctor continued "So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up - oh, yeah, they get all nostalgic - big revival movement… but find this place." He wrapped his arms around Rose "Same size as the Earth… same air… same orbit… lovely! Call goes out, the humans move in!"

Rose smiled "What's the city called?"

"New New York."

Rose rolled her eyes, smirking "Oh, come on."

"It is!" He defended "It's the City of New New York!" He paused for a moment to think "Strictly speaking it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York."

"You were right." Rose then said simply.

The Doctor looked utterly confused "About what?"

"You've certainly got a gob!" She teased with her tongue in tooth grin as her Doctor pouted adorably.

She rested her head back on his shoulder as she whispered "New New Doctor."

He chuckled as she giggled.

"So where is this old friend of yours?" Rose asked, getting a feeling of dread in her stomach as she remembered Cassandra possessing her. She inwardly frowned, unsure of what to do… for the nurses to be found out, and the intensive care patients to be healed she needed Cassandra to possess her but she really hated what that had felt like last time, being trapped in her own mind watching as her body moved to Cassandra's wishes unable to fight against her, although she couldn't actually remember most of it.

The Doctor pointed towards the hospital "In there, it's some sort of hospital," he explained "See that green moon on the side - that's the universal symbol for hospitals." He got out his psychic paper then and showed the message to Rose "I got this." she watched as the words 'Ward 26 - Please Come' scrawled across the paper.

"Someone wants to see us." The Doctor added.

Rose beamed at him as she linked her arm through his "Well, we better get moving then, Doctor."

OoOoOo

Rose snorted "Bit rich coming from you."

The Doctor shrugged "I can't help it! I don't like hospitals - they give me the creeps!"

Rose looked around her like last time, knowing that she had to make sure she was intercepted by Chip and Cassandra.

"Very smart. Not exactly NHS." Rose commented.

The Doctor was almost pouting as he said "No shop. I like the little shop!"

Rose rolled her eyes "I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything."

The Doctor glanced at her "The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war."

A cat nurse walked by, like last time, and nodded to Rose and the Doctor.

"They're cats…" Rose felt the need to point out again, because despite how many aliens she had seen with the Doctor… walking, talking cats was definitely one of the weirdest.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Now, don't stare… think what you look like to them, all…" He looked her up and down "Pink and yellow." He walked off again then before he pointed randomly and said "That's where I'd put the shop!"

Rose turned to look as the Doctor walked ahead into the lift.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Rose shouted when she was sure she wouldn't be able to make it, because as much as she hated to go to Cassandra… the Doctor would need her help to save the patients in 'intensive care'.

"Oh, too late - I'm going up." The Doctor responded as the lift doors closed.

"It's alright there's another lift… Ward 26, right?" She asked.

"Yeah!" The Doctor shouted back "And watch out for the disinfectant!"

"Watch out for what?!" Rose called back up, though she had a good idea what he'd been shouting after the nasty shock she had gotten last time with the disinfectant.

"The disinfectant!"

"The what?"

"The di-"

Rose rolled her eyes as the Doctor cut himself off and she stepped into the other lift and stated "Ward 26, thanks."

The doors closed and the lift went down.

"Commence stage one disinfection." The speaker in the lift stated and Rose braced herself for the shower.

She screamed a little as she was soaked in the disinfectant and closed her eyes tightly as she tried to smooth down her hair.

As white powder was suddenly puffed onto her, Rose jumped again before the blow dryer started up and Rose attempted to tidy her hair before she stepped out of the lift.

As she walked out into the cellar she watched as Chip observed her from a distance.

"This doesn't look like a hospital ward." Rose stated.

Chip ignored her and said "The Human child is clean."

"Where's Ward 26?" Rose asked.

"This way, Rose Tyler."

Rose watched as he scurried off ahead and followed behind him cautiously.

OoOoOo

As Rose stepped into a room where the old tape of Cassandra was playing she watched it silently before she said quietly "I meant what I said Cassandra, you truly do have beautiful eyes."

She turned to face Cassandra and watched as the trampoline appeared to be in shock.

"You knew I was here?" She finally asked.

Rose smiled "I recognised you."

Cassandra didn't appear to know how to respond.

"So nurse cat nuns, then?" Rose asked.

"What would you know about them?" Cassandra asked curiously, her hostility apparently gone.

"Heard 'em mention an 'intensive care'" Rose lied.

Cassandra smiled tightly "Yes…"

"I'm guessing the hospital doesn't know your 'ere?" Rose asked.

"Chip secreted milady into the hospital. Chip steals medicine. Helps milady. Soothes her, str-"

"You can stop right there, Chip."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed as she asked "How did you know his name?"

Rose inwardly cursed herself as she realised Chip hadn't been introduced to her in this timeline.

She shrugged "Pretty sure I 'eard his name somewhere."

Chip merely watched as his mistress spoke to the human child. How she knew his name was a mystery to him, though it wasn't something he was concerned about, his mistress would figure it out she was intelligent as well as beautiful with pretty blue eyes.

Cassandra watched Rose warily. The girl didn't appear to be afraid or even shocked at her being in the hospital and she knew her pets name, and for the first time in her life Cassandra was torn - on the one hand, she wanted to leave this godforsaken hospital after finding out their dirty little secret but on the other she could hear Rose's voice echoing in her mind 'Help her', even being so angry with her, Rose had asked to save her.

She decided to change the subject as she looked at the film "I remember that night. Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it all became such hard work." She spat the last words out bitterly.

Rose sighed "Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that."

Cassandra looked at Rose before she informed her "I've not been idle, Rose… tucked away, underneath this hospital - I've been listening. The sisters are hiding something."

Rose nodded "I knew that."

Cassandra glared at her, she had decided now. Rose hadn't saved her when the Earth was destroyed… saying the words didn't help, so what did it matter that the possession would compress her to death after all then she'd learn all Rose's little secrets such as how she knew Chip's name, how she knew the sisters were hiding something, who that vile man and she really were.

Oh yes, Cassandra thought viciously, though she had nothing against Rose in particular, she had done nothing for her and she would be helping her get her revenge on the Doctor because that's who she really despised out of the two of them.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and said "Enough talking then."

Rose was then caught by a machine that bound her with light so she couldn't move.

Bad Wolf's song sounded in her mind as the Wolf whispered "You'll be protected…"

Rose frowned, not understanding Bad Wolf's meaning.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Cassandra shouting "Chip! Activate the psychograft!"

"Let me go, Cassandra!" Rose yelled.

Bars of light then descended from the ceiling forming a cage around Rose as Chip pulled a lever.

"What're you doing!" Rose shouted furiously.

Cassandra smirked at Rose "The lady's moving on. It's goodbye trampoline, and hello Blondie!"

A cloud of pink light suddenly jumped from Cassandra and flew across the room into Rose.

Rose collapsed to the ground as she felt Cassandra enter her mind but Bad Wolf enveloped Rose into her warm embrace as she sang.

OoOoOo

Bad Wolf hummed to herself as she waited for her human to wake… well, to become aware was more appropriate. Especially since the trampoline had hijacked Rose's body, Bad Wolf had made sure to conceal Rose's mind from the other human's sight. Her song echoed in Cassandra's consciousness as she shielded herself and Rose from her.

Rose groaned as she sat up "Where are we?" Rose asked groggily as she noticed Bad Wolf grinning down at her.

"In your mind."

"Okay… my mind's the TARDIS?"

Bad Wolf grinned "You are the TARDIS' heart, of course you would choose the TARDIS to represent your mind."

Rose snorted "Of course."

"I have enshrouded us both as well as your memories and thoughts in my song until we can throw Cassandra from your body."

"How can a song hide us from Cassandra?" Rose asked.

Bad Wolf smiled "She is only able to use your body, she cannot use your mind."

"So, Cassandra wont try and find out what the song is hiding?"

"You are the only mortal who could perceive me, who could even hold a fraction of my power and not succumb to death even after being 'saved' by the Doctor."

"And in English?"

Bad Wolf shrugged "If she does, it will be the last thing she will do."

Rose cocked her head to the side.

"You had all the power of the universe in your hands and you asked me for three things - to be with our Doctor forever, for our Captain to never die and for our Captain to have love for as long as he lives. These, whilst they can be conceived as selfish, are innocent wishes… hence why I chose you to survive."

Rose's eyes were wide as Bad Wolf spoke.

"If Cassandra tried to breach the barrier my song creates, she would be obliterated."

Rose gaped at Bad Wolf "O-okay… better not try and 'breach the barrier' then."

Bad Wolf smiled "Would you like to see what she is doing?"

"We can see?"

"Of course, you are more than human now so you will be able to perceive more than you could before."

Rose nodded.

Bad Wolf smiled as she turned the monitor on "The TARDIS monitor will allow us to see what Cassandra is doing through your eyes."

Rose grimaced as she heard Cassandra speak to the Doctor on her mobile "I do NOT sound like that."

Bad Wolf chuckled before she suddenly commented "I have allowed Cassandra to know that we are travelling with the Doctor… it was enough to allow her to think she could access surface thoughts."

Rose nodded "Might keep her suspicions down if she thinks she can access my thoughts."

Bad Wolf smiled "Sooner or later she will try and find out about you and the Doctor."

"Why?" Rose asked curiously.

"She wants revenge. In her mind you stood by in silence as the Doctor callously murdered her."

Rose rolled her eyes "She raised the temperature."

Bad Wolf smirked "I'm not saying she didn't."

"Besides she isn't dead… she's very much alive, unfortunately" She muttered the latter word in annoyance causing Bad Wolf to snort in amusement.

They turned their attention back to the screen as Cassandra finally entered Ward 26.

The Doctor smiled at Cassandra/Rose when he saw her "There you are! Come and look at this patient!" He took her arm and led her over to a patient whose skin was entirely red, the Doctor took his sexy-specs off as he spoke "Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it - they've invented a cell washing cascade - it's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one!" He lead her to another bed where a man was completely white "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine!" The Doctor waved cheerily at him, causing both Bad Wolf and Rose to snort in amusement.

He turned to Cassandra/Rose seriously "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this." He grabbed Cassandra/Rose's hand as he lead her out of Ward 26 "Because if they've got the best medicine in the world… then why's it such a secret?"

Cassandra/Rose stopped as she looked around "I cant Adam and Eve it."

The Doctor cocked his head to the side as he frowned confusedly "What's- what's with the voice?"

Cassandra/Rose looked up at him "Oh, I don't know… just larking about. New Earth… New me…" She looked him up and down as the Doctor looked down to her chest where most of the buttons on her shirt were undone.

"Well, I can talk. New New Doctor." He said with a grin.

"Mmm… aren't you just…" She muttered before she suddenly pulled his face towards hers and kissed him forcefully.

Cassandra/Rose was slightly breathless as she pulled away and saw the Doctor's extremely shocked and puzzled face.

"T… terminal's this way." She stuttered before walking off ahead.

"That is not how I kiss!" Rose yelled at the screen before she frowned and commented "I think the Doctor's finally figured something's strange about 'me'."

Bad Wolf snorted "He's always thought there was something strange about you."

Rose's eyes widened "What?"

"He thought you were psychic at first, after you encountered Gwyneth."

"He never mentioned it."

"He wouldn't."

"So what you're really saying is that I wasn't at all subtle."

Bad Wolf grinned "Nope."

"Then why hasn't he brought it up?"

Bad Wolf smirked "The TARDIS recognised you would eventually be her heart and threatened the Doctor that if he were to confront you then she would lock him in a timeloop, fully aware, until he changed his mind."

Rose snorted "I cant imagine that."

"She's fond of you. As am I and my power was within the Doctor before he released the energy back into the TARDIS… I assured him that when the time was right, he would know everything he could without messing up timelines."

"You told him!"

Bad Wolf smiled "I wiped the conversation from his memory, only to be recalled when he is told, if he is told about the real Canary Warf."

"And I cant tell him before then because it would mess with the timelines."

"No." Bad Wolf shook her head "Although that has some truth to it, that is not my reasoning for keeping him in the dark… It would break his hearts to loose you twice."

"But he wouldn't know -"

"He can read minds… tell him to look through your memories, your original timeline if you do in fact inform him."

Rose arched an eyebrow at Bad Wolf "He can read minds?"

"He needs to be in contact with you to do so."

Rose nodded as she said "That's a pretty awesome ability to have."

Bad Wolf snorted "Indeed." The she motioned to the screen "Shall we…"

"Of course."

On the screen Bad Wolf and Rose saw row after row of green doors, they watched as the Doctor opened one and a man covered in boils and surrounded by smoke stared back at them.

Cassandra/Rose exclaimed "That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he'll definitely know I'm not me now…" Rose said quietly.

The Doctor looked horrified as he said to the man "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He closed the door gently and opened another.

"What disease is that?" Cassandra/Rose asked as they looked at the woman inside the next one.

The Doctor spoke quietly, his voice betraying his disgust for what had been done to these poor people "All of them. Every single disease in the galaxy, they've been infected with everything."

Cassandra/Rose gasped "What about us? Are we safe?"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment with a frown before he said "The air's sterile. Just don't touch them."

Rose felt her heart ache for these poor people, she couldn't even begin to imagine how it would feel to be locked up in a cramped space and infected with every single disease in the universe.

The Doctor and Cassandra/Rose leaned over the railing as she asked "How many patients are there?"

"They're not patients." The Doctor responded curtly.

"But they're sick."

The Doctor replied angrily "They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built up the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm."

"Why don't they just die?" Cassandra/Rose asked, looking around with unconcealed disdain.

"Plague carriers. The last to go."

"It's for the greater cause." One of the cat nurses spoke up from behind them making the Doctor and Cassandra/Rose to spin around to face her.

"Novice Hame." The Doctor greeted calmly, only his eyes betraying his fury and disgust "When you took your vows, did you agree to this?"

Novice Hame attempted to appeal to the Doctor "The Sisterhood has sworn to help."

The Doctor lost it then as he shouted at her "What, by killing?!"

"But they're not real people." Novice Hame responded gently "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."

"They can feel, they can talk and breath and live…" Rose muttered angrily, disgusted at her dismissal of life, "It doesn't matter if they were grown not born, they're still alive, still people…"

Bad Wolf wrapped her arms around her human comfortingly.

The Doctor advanced dangerously "What's the turnover? Hm? Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousand? For how many years?" His voice rose with each word until he shouted "How many?!"

"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything." Novice Hame pleaded with him to understand "We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle… but the results were too slow. So the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."

The Doctor spat back furiously "These people are alive."

"But think of those Humans out there… healthy… and happy, because of us."

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless." He responded and Rose silently agreed with him.

"But who are you to decide that?"

The Doctor stepped forward "I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it… if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with me."

Rose shivered slightly, she stood firmly by her statement that the Doctor was possibly one of the most terrifying beings when he was angry, incredibly sexy, but extremely terrifying.

Cassandra/Rose then peered over the Doctor's shoulder as she asked "Just to confirm… none of the Humans in the city actually know about this?"

Novice Hame responded hesitantly "We though it best not-"

The Doctor cut her off "Hold on. I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. But one thing I cant understand - what have you done to Rose?"

Novice Hame looked at the Doctor in confusion "I don't know what you mean."

The Doctor was deadly quiet as he spoke "And I'm being very, very calm. You wanna be aware of that - very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed."

Rose smiled slightly as she watched the Doctor, she couldn't remember any of this from last time.

"We haven't done anything." Novice Hame said, still looking incredibly confused.

"I'm perfectly fine." Cassandra/Rose said.

Rose snorted "She clearly didn't think much of the Doctor if she thought she could fool 'im."

Bad Wolf grinned.

The Doctor glared at Novice Hame "These people are dying, and Rose would care."

Cassandra/Rose rolled her eyes "Oh, alright, clever clogs." She spun the Doctor around to face her and pulled his tie flirtatiously "Smarty pants." She lowered her voice huskily "Lady-killer."

"What's happened to you?" The Doctor asked his brows furrowed in concern.

Cassandra/Rose sighed "I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out."

"Who are you?"

Cassandra/Rose stood on her tiptoes and whispered into the Doctor's ear "The Last Human."

The Doctor pulled away looking unpleasantly surprised "Cassandra?"

Cassandra/Rose arched an eyebrow "Wake up and smell the perfume." She took out a tube of perfume from her cleavage and sprayed it in the Doctor's face and he immediately keeled over, unconscious.

Novice Hame gasped and knelt at the Doctor's side "You've hurt him! I don't understand - I'll have to fetch Matron!"

Cassandra/Rose sneered "You do that, 'cause I want to see her. Now, run along! Sound the alarm!"

As Novice Hame rushed off, Cassandra/Rose ripped out a cable and smirked, satisfied as an alarm went off.

Rose watched helplessly as Chip placed the Doctor into one of the cells. Bad Wolf told her to wait until the Doctor was at least conscious before she forced Cassandra out of her mind.

Cassandra/Rose smirked smugly as she heard a groan from the Doctor's cell before she heard him shout "Let me out! Let me out!"

She looked the door and simpered "Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only."

"You've stolen Rose's body."

"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about…" She paused as she looked at her watch "three minutes left. Enjoy."

She heard the Doctor sigh "Just let Rose go, Cassandra."

"I will!" Cassandra/Rose assured him before she added "As soon as I've found someone younger and… less common… then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby! It's showtime."

"I'm 19!" Rose protested.

Bad Wolf grinned at her human.

The Matron and another Sister approached Cassandra/Rose and Chip.

"Anything we can do to help?" The Sister asked curiously.

"Straight to the point, whiskers… I want money."

The Matron shrugged helplessly "The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only… accept."

Cassandra/Rose arched an eyebrow as she attempted to blackmail them "The Humans across the water pay you a fortune. And that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment. That's all I want…" she paused for a moment before she added "Oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the City nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?" She asked with a smirk.

The Sister pressed a few buttons on a remote as she looked at Rose unimpressed.

The Matron laughed "I'm afraid not."

Cassandra/Rose sneered at them "I'd really advise you to think about this."

The Matron chuckled "There's no need. I have to decline."

"I'll tell them!" Cassandra/Rose threatened "And you've no way of stopping me! You're not exactly Nuns with Guns - you're not even armed."

The Matron smirked at her "Who needs arms when we have claws?" Her claws shot out of her paws as she hissed menacingly at Cassandra/Rose.

Cassandra/Rose stepped back nervously "Well, nice try." She spun around and called to her pet "Chip? Plan B!"

Chip nodded and pulled a lever causing every cell door on the row to swing open, the Doctor's included.

The Doctor yelled at Cassandra/Rose "What've you done?!"

She shrugged "Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up. See ya!"

She ran off as the Doctor shouted "Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!"

Cassandra/Rose screamed as every single cell in 'intensive care' swung open and released every infected person.

"Oh, my God…" Cassandra/Rose exclaimed as her, Chip and the Doctor paused and watched as all the infected 'flesh' broke out of their cells.

"What the hell have you done?" The Doctor asked Cassandra/Rose angrily.

"It wasn't me!" She protested.

The Doctor glowered at her "One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra! We've gotta go down!"

As the 'flesh' approached them Cassandra/Rose said quietly, her voice betraying her obvious fear "But there's thousands of them!"

"RUN!" The Doctor shouted at her in response "Down! Down! Go down!"

The three of them continued their descent down the stairs as the 'flesh' followed them, arms outstretched.

"Keep going! Go down!"

They finally descended the last flight of stairs and burst through a door into the cellar, Cassandra/Rose desperately tried to operate the lifts.

The Doctor stopped "No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving."

Cassandra/Rose looked panicked before she ran the other way and shouted "This way!"

The Doctor followed close behind, narrowly avoiding being touched by one of the 'flesh' that was spilling out from the converging corridor and leaving Chip behind.

Cassandra/Rose stopped and watched as the Doctor looked torn as Chip whimpered and he started to go back "Someone will touch him!"

Cassandra/Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed the Doctor's arm "Leave him! He's just a clone thing, he's only got a half life - come on!"

Rose felt saddened as she heard Chip's pitiful cry of "Mistress!"

The Doctor called back to Chip helplessly "I'm sorry, I cant let her escape!"

OoOoOo

Cassandra/Rose lead the way into the room where Cassandra had possessed Rose and tried to open another door after closing the first behind them.

She screamed slightly as she saw more of the flesh behind that door and slammed it shut turning to the Doctor as she asked hysterically "We're trapped! What're we going to do?"

The Doctor glared at her angrily "Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body." He gestured to the psychograft with his sonic screwdriver and said "That psychograft is banned on every civilised planet! You're compressing Rose to death."

Cassandra/Rose rolled her eyes uncaringly "But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead!"

"Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out." He pointed his sonic screwdriver at her threateningly "Give her back to me."

"You asked for it." Cassandra/Rose sneered before Cassandra as a cloud of pink light leapt from Rose's body and into the Doctors.

"Blimey, my head…" Rose muttered as she was suddenly pushed from the back of her mind to the front again.

Bad Wolf giggled in the back of her consciousness and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Cassandra, get out of 'im." Rose commanded Cassandra/Doctor.

Cassandra/Doctor completely disregarded Rose as she said "Oh, my. This is… different."

Rose bit her lip as she tried not to laugh.

"Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum. So many parts! And hardly used…" She wiggled around crazily "Ah… ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

Rose snorted as she said "Get out of him."

Cassandra/Doctor ran a hand down the Doctor's body "Ooh, he's slim. And a little bit foxy." She raised her eyebrows at Rose "You've thought so too. I've been inside your head…" Cassandra/Doctor came closer teasingly "You've been looking… you like it."

The 'flesh' suddenly burst through the door making them both jump.

Cassandra/Doctor grabbed Rose's arm as she asked frantically "What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor- what the hell would he do?"

Rose spun around and pointed to the ladder "We go up."

"Out of the way, Blondie!" Cassandra/Doctor said as she pushed Rose roughly out of the way.

As Cassandra/Doctor climbed hurriedly up the ladder, Rose turned hesitantly to the 'flesh'.

"Help us…" One of them pleaded weakly.

Rose felt tears well up in her eyes as she whispered "I promise you, the Doctor and I… we will cure you, I promise."

The 'flesh' people stared blankly at her, the one who had spoken eventually smiled hesitantly.

"The Doctor will find a way and the Sister's will pay for what they did to you." Rose promised firmly before she turned to go up the ladder.

They were nearly at the top when the Matron suddenly grasped Rose's ankle "Get off!" Rose shouted down to her.

The Matron hissed "All our good work! All that healing!"

Rose cut her off "Healing! You call locking innocent people up in cells healing! You call infecting them with every know disease, healing?!" Rose looked down at the Matron, disgust plastered on her face "Your definition of healing is skewed."

"Ther-"

Cassandra/Doctor cut her off this time "Go and play with a ball of string."

The Matron glowered at the two humans above her and said "Everywhere - disease! This is the Human world. Sickness! We m-"

For the third time the Matron was cut off but this time by a diseased hand grasping her ankle making her wail in pain as she broke out in boils before she fell off the ladder, wailing.

Cassandra/Doctor, Rose and the diseased 'flesh' all watched as the Matron fell before Rose shouted to Cassandra/Doctor "Move!"

Cassandra/Doctor whimpered as she hastily climbed the ladder.

As they got to the top of the ladder Cassandra/Doctor figured out that the doors were sealed.

"Now what do we do?" Cassandra/Doctor asked.

"Come back into me!" Rose yelled at her.

Cassandra/Doctor arched her eyebrow "Hold on tight."

Rose gripped the ladder tightly as Cassandra re-entered her body.

"Oh… oh, chavtastic again. Open it!" She shouted at the Doctor.

The Doctor got out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at Cassandra/Rose "Not 'till you get out of her."

"We need the Doctor!" Cassandra/Rose pointed out, irritated.

The Doctor shouted angrily at her "I order you to leave her!"

Cassandra then leapt back into the Doctor's body again.

"No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout!"

Rose growled at Cassandra/Doctor "Get out of him!"

Cassandra/Doctor sighed "But I cant go into you, he simply refuses - he's so rude."

"That's the Doctor for ya." Rose joked.

Cassandra/Doctor rolled her eyes before a disgusted look appeared on her face "Oh, I am so gonna regret this…"

Cassandra left the Doctor's body and jumped into the body of the diseased woman below Rose. "Oh, sweet Lord… I look disgusting."

The Doctor opened the lift doors quickly and held out a hand to Rose "Nice to have you back."

"No, you don't…" Cassandra/'flesh' snarled as she left the infected woman's body and jumped back into Rose.

"I'm seriously gonna get dizzy with all this jumping around…" Rose muttered grumpily to Bad Wolf who sniggered.

The Doctor sealed the doors as Cassandra/Rose crouched on the floor.

"That was your last warning, Cassandra!"

Cassandra/Rose stared into space as she said quietly "Inside her head… they're so alone… they keep reaching out, just to hold us… all their lives and they've never been touched."

The Doctor held out his hand which she took as he pulled her to her feet. They heard the 'flesh' banging on the doors as the Doctor lead them through a door back onto Ward 26.

OoOoOo

Rose and Bad Wolf were cut off from what was happening as Jack's voice echoed in her mind "Hello, Rosie."

"Jack!" Rose exclaimed happily as was seemed to be a hologram of her Captain appeared in her mind.

"Since we're in your mind, I can talk to you like this." He grinned at her, "And not like an overly large head."

Rose beamed at him "Can I hug you?"

Jack answered that by pulling his Rosie into a bear hug.

"We're in your mind, Rosie… anything could happen." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, God… how the hell do you manage as just a head?"

Bad Wolf and Rose both laughed as Jack pouted.

"Shall we watch?" Jack asked eagerly.

Rose arched an eyebrow "You couldn't see this last time?"

"No idea… this is a brand new adventure to me." He said excitedly "But since you didn't speak with Bad Wolf last time, I'm assuming I couldn't enter your mind without Cassandra being aware of it."

"Ah." Rose nodded "So, I change Canary Warf?"

Jack grinned "Cant say, sorry Rosie… you know the rules."

She sighed "I suppose… Bad Wolf'd wipe it from my mind anyway."

Bad Wolf grinned as she agreed "You cant know your future."

Both Jack and Rose sniggered.

"Okay, bad phrasing… whilst you CAN know what you did in an alternate timeline, you cannot know your future in your current timeline."

Rose nodded "I know… I'm just glad you gave me a chance to start over."

Jack grinned "Ditto… I have my lovely Welshman now as well."

Rose stared at him wide-eyed "It worked?! He's still with you?"

"Yup!"

Rose threw her arms around Jack's neck "I'm so glad!"

Jack beamed at her "So am I… although unlike me he isn't a giant head, he's still the same as he was on earth… still 24."

"Oh… so-"

Jack shrugged "Don't apologise… Doc said I was a fixed point in time, I was meant to be the Face of Bo right?"

Bad Wolf shrugged noncommittally as she said "Spoilers, Captain."

He just smiled sheepishly before he turned his attention to the screen "Let's watch."

OoOoOo

Jack, Rose and Bad Wolf all watched the screen as the Doctor took a running jump into the middle of the elevator shaft and clung onto the rope.

Jack whistled appreciatively as Cassandra/Rose shouted incredulously "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going down!" The Doctor replied, sonic screwdriver between his teeth before he removed it a fixed something to the rope with it.

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted at Cassandra/Rose.

"Not in a million years." She refused.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "I need another pair of hands. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive… why don't you live a little?"

Suddenly more of the 'flesh' appeared outside of the ward and Cassandra/Rose squealed a little as she jumped into the lift onto the Doctor's back.

"You're completely mad. I can see why she likes you." Cassandra/Rose commented slyly.

The Doctor ignored her as he warned "Going down!"

They whizzed down the shaft, screaming before straightening themselves out as they reached the bottom.

"Well, that's one way to lose weight." Cassandra/Rose said shakily.

"Now, listen - when I say so, take hold of that lever."

"There's still a quarantine down there, we cant -"

The Doctor shouted at her "Hold that lever!"

Cassandra/Rose backed away slightly then as the Doctor knelt down "I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself."

He ripped the tops of the packets of each solution and squirted them into the clear container where the disinfectant for the lifts was.

The Doctor motioned to the lever "Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position."

He opened a trapdoor in the top of the lift.

"Hold onto it with everything you've got."

"What about you?"

The Doctor smirked at her "I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in."

He dropped down into the lift and Cassandra/Rose heard the doors open beneath her.

She heard him shout "I'm in here, come on!"

"Don't tell them!" Cassandra/Rose protested.

"Pull that lever!" He shouted back "Come and get me, come on! I'm in here, come on!"

The lift speaker sounded "Commence stage one - disinfection."

"Hurry up, come on!"

She heard him shout enthusiastically "All they wanna do is pass it on. Pass it on!"

"Pass on what? Pass on what?" Cassandra/Rose asked confused.

"Pass it on!" He yelled excitedly.

Cassandra/Rose jumped into the lift with the Doctor's help.

"What did they pass on?" She asked curiously "Did you kill them? All of them?"

"No. That's your way of doing things." He walked to the middle of the room "I'm the Doctor and I cured them."

A woman approached and hugged him "That's right! Hey, hey! There we go, sweetheart! Ay? Look at him…" The Doctor ushered her off to sit with someone as he continued to look around.

Rose, Bad Wolf and Jack smiled.

A man got up then and approached both the Doctor and Cassandra/Rose and Rose recognised him as the man she had spoken to in the cellar.

He looked into Cassandra/Rose's eyes and whispered "Thank you…" Before wrapping his arms around her in a grateful hug.

Rose took control back from Cassandra for a moment as she hugged him back and whispered "You're free to live now, you all deserve it."

The man smiled warmly at her before he stood beside another of the now cured 'flesh'.

The Doctor grinned around him, slightly confused at the man thanking Cassandra but he ignored it for now as he spoke "It's a new subspecies, Cassandra! A brand new form of life! New Humans. Look at them, look!" His smile grew as he looked at the life around him, the happiness and child-like curiosity in their eyes, "Grown by cats… kept in the dark, fed by tubes… but completely, completely alive!" He pointed at Cassandra/Rose "You cant deny them, because you helped create them."

Cassandra/Rose rolled her eyes.

"The human race just keeps on going. Keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

OoOoOo

Rose sighed as Cassandra/Rose and the Doctor entered a familiar ward.

Jack smiled sadly at her, he knew that the next time he saw Rose and the Doctor, Ianto and himself would both die. But that was okay, he'd lived a long full life and to quote Dumbledore he couldn't wait for the 'next great adventure' with Ianto.

"I'll see you again, Jack?" Rose asked tearily.

Jack grinned at her before he kissed the top of her head and whispered knowing she needed the assurance "Of course, Rosie…"

Bad Wolf smiled sadly at her Captain, it would break Rose's heart to see him die but he was old now… older than the Doctor and he longed for peace as did his Ianto.

Jack disappeared from her mind suddenly and Bad Wolf wrapped her arms around Rose as she cried silently, she knew he was hiding something from her… she just didn't know what.

They turned to the screen as the Face of Bo teleported away, the Doctor looking very impressed "That is enigmatic. That - that is - that is textbook enigmatic."

Rose giggled "I am so telling Jack that when we next see him…"

Bad Wolf smiled.

"And now for you." The Doctor said spinning around to face Cassandra/Rose.

"But…" Cassandra/Rose protested "Everything's happy. Everything's fine… cant you just leave me?"

"You've live long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra."

Cassandra/Rose started to cry "I don't want to die!"

"No one does."

"Help me!" She pleaded.

"I cant."

Chip suddenly appeared making Cassandra/Rose gasp.

"Mistress!" He exclaimed happily.

"Ah! You're alive!"

"I kept myself safe. For you, mistress."

Cassandra/Rose stared at Chip calculatingly "A body… and not just that, a volunteer…"

The Doctor said warningly "Don't you dare. He's got a life of his own."

"But I worship the mistress!" Chip defended Cassandra.

Cassandra/Rose winked at Chip.

"I welcome her."

"You cant, Cassandra, you-"

Cassandra ignored him as she jumped into Chip's body leaving Rose to fall forward with a gasp.

The Doctor lunged forward to catch her immediately "You alright?"

She grinned up at him as he helped her stand "Yeah."

Rose pressed her lips to the Doctor's gently "Love you, Doctor…"

He smiled happily as he whispered back "I love you, too."

They were interrupted then by Cassandra's exclamation of "Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle."

The Doctor turned his attention to Cassandra/Chip then "You cant stay in there. I'm sorry Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the City. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done."

Cassandra/Chip looked thoughtful for a moment "Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour. And certainly my finest hat."

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other.

"But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half life. And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so." She paused "He's failing. I don't think he's going to last -" Her legs gave way and Rose and the Doctor lunged forward to support her.

"You alright?" Rose asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." She smiled weakly "I'm dying. But that's fine."

The Doctor said calmly "I can take you to the City."

"No, you wont. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die." She swallowed "And that's good."

Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek as she said "There's gotta be something we can do for ya at least."

Cassandra/Chip smiled weakly as the Doctor and Rose helped her to her feet.

"There is." The Doctor agreed as they lead her away.

OoOoOo

The Doctor and Rose leaned against the TARDIS doors as Cassandra/Chip walked ahead of them into the part where Cassandra was last told she was beautiful.

She turned back to them and smiled tearily "Thank you."

"Just go. And don't look back."

Rose wrapped her arms around Cassandra/Chip's neck and whispered "Good luck, Cassandra." before she released her.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Rose before they turned to watch as Cassandra/Chip approached her younger self.

Rose grasped the Doctor's hand tightly as Cassandra/Chip keeled over suddenly and the younger Cassandra knelt down beside her, gathering Cassandra/Chip into her arms as she called for help.

They both walked back into the TARDIS with one last look back at Cassandra before they shut the doors.

"I'm glad." Rose said eventually.

The Doctor looked at her curiously.

"I'm glad, that Cassandra had a chance to be somewhat happy in her last moments." She continued, her eyes filled with tears because Cassandra had, after everything, redeemed herself by helping the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled before he frowned "Why did that man thank you?"

Rose grinned at him "I told him that we'd find a way to help them, that you'd save them back in the cellar when Cassandra possessed you. Bad Wolf allowed me to take control back from Cassandra for a second when he hugged me."

"You could've fought her?"

"Bad Wolf could… but she wouldn't let me, I guess she knew Cassandra would have to set things in motion for you to save them."

The Doctor smiled after a moment "There's something about you, Rose Tyler…"

Rose smirked at him before she asked innocently "So between Cassandra and me… who was the better kisser?"

The Doctor's eyes went wide as she asked that and he stuttered "I - yo - Ca- you se- I…"

Rose sniggered at his impression of a deer in headlights look "Sorry, that was mean."

The Doctor scowled at her before he mumbled "…you…" very quietly, it was only thanks to the fact she was stood right next to him that she heard.

"Of course." Rose nodded as if the answer was obvious and the Doctor snorted.

"You've been copying Jack."

Rose sniggered "Maybe."

"So, where'd you wanna go next?" He asked.

"I dunno…" Rose muttered thinking of the werewolf they were going to see soon "Somewhere in the past though." She decided with a grin.

The Doctor grinned back as Bad Wolf and the TARDIS watched their human and Time Lord in amusement.

OoOoOo

I hope you liked this chapter! And Bad Wolf and Jack's involvement… I just had to include Jack in this because he's awesome. I also mentioned Ianto because he's beautiful! If you didn't like it, please tell me what you thought wasn't up to scratch and I'll see if I can improve. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

If you were confused by the use of female pronouns when I was referring to Cassandra when she was in a male body then I apologise however I thought it was appropriate considering she was still a woman despite the body she was inhabiting.

I have also decided that I will be doing a Torchwood fic that I will be posting after I've finished Series 2.


	22. Chapter 16 - Tooth and Claw

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

Sorry this chapter's so late, I'm not at all happy with it but I didn't want to leave it any longer, so I hope you enjoy it.

OoOoOo

**Tooth and Claw**

Rose had dressed in the same dungaree skirt as last time, the reactions had been amusing to say the least.

"So what d'you think?" She asked the Doctor as she walked into the console room.

The Doctor grinned at her, looking her over as he held up a CD "In the late 1970's? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this."

He put the CD into the player and 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads blared out of the speakers.

He grinned happily at her as he explained "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979."

Rose sniggered "You're a Punk!"

The Doctor started to sing along "It's good to be a lunatic-"

Rose laughed "That's what you are. A big old Punk with a bit of Rockabilly thrown in."

The Doctor was bouncing slightly as he asked "Would you like to see him?"

She arched an eyebrow "You mean in concert?"

He beamed at her "What else is a TARDIS for?"

She smirked at him "Landing us in danger?"

He chuckled and continued "I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar… the first anti-gravity Olympics… Caesar crossing the Rubicon… or… Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?"

Rose arched an eyebrow at the Doctor and said as though the answer was obvious, "Sheffield."

"Hold on tight." He warned with a smirk as he pulled a lever causing them both to lurch forward as the TARDIS shuddered. The Doctor whacked the console with a hammer to the beat of the music, shouting.

"Stop!" Rose finally yelled and as soon as the movement stopped they both fell to the floor laughing.

The Doctor stood up and said "1979. Hell of a year!" He pulled Rose to her feet and they bounded over to the doors, the Doctor grabbing his jacket as he continued "China invades Vietnam… The Muppet Movie! Love that film. Margaret Thatcher… urgh… Skylab falls to Earth… with a little help from me… nearly took of my thumb." they stepped out of the TARDIS "I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to…" He faltered as he noticed that they were surrounded by Scottish soldiers on all sides with their guns raised. He put his hands up and Rose followed suit as the Doctor finished quietly "… my thumb."

The guns clicked quietly.

"1879. Same difference."

Captain Reynolds glared at them both "You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl."

The Doctor asked in a Scottish accent "Are we in Scotland?"

The Captain looked at him as though he was stupid "How can you be ignorant of that?"

The Doctor thought for a second "Oh, I'm- I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this… this wee naked child over hill and over dale. In't that right, ya… timorous beastie?"

Rose grinned sheepishly at the Captain "Yup!"

The Captain glared at them both "Will you identify yourself sir?"

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon. From the… Township of Balamory. Eh… I have my credentials, if I may…" He gestured towards his pocket and the Captain nodded. Both Rose and the Doctor lowered their hands as the Doctor dug out his psychic paper and showed it to the Captain. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."

Queen Victoria called over from the carriage "Let them approach."

The Captain glowered at the two of them suspiciously as he warned "I don't think that's wise ma'am."

"Let them approach." The Queen repeated calmly.

"You will approach the carriage." The Captain informed them reluctantly "And show all due deference."

The Doctor grinned and saluted the Captain before he and Rose approached the carriage. One of the footmen opened the door to reveal the Queen.

Rose could barely contain her grin of excitement as the Doctor introduced "Rose - might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." 

Rose grinned "Rose Tyler, Ma'am. Sorry about my… nakedness."

Queen Victoria merely waved her off "I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor… show me these credentials."

The Doctor obligingly handed over the psychic paper, and the Queen studied it for a few moments before she exclaimed "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."

"Does it?" The Doctor asked curiously before Rose elbowed him in the side and he amended "Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um… then let me ask - why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line."

"An accident?"

"Not likely…" Rose muttered as the Queen replied "I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."

"An assassination attempt?"

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." She replied blandly.

The Captain spoke up behind them from atop his horse "Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."

"This Doctor and his… timorous beastie will come with us."

The Captain looked at them in distaste before he responded "Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall."

"Indeed." The Queen answered dryly "And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"

Rose linked her arm with the Doctor's as they walked behind the carriage and rested her head on his shoulder as she spoke "You know… you say 'assassination' and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her."

The Doctor grinned "1879 - she's had… ooh… six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!"

Rose squeezed his arm excitedly "I know!"

"What a laugh!"

"She was just sitting there!"

"Like a stamp."

Rose looked at him with her tongue in tooth grin as she said "I want her to say," she put on an upper-class accent "'we are not amused'." She grinned at him "I bet you five quid I can make 'er say it."

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveller in time."

Rose snorted "…Ten quid?"

The Doctor grinned "Done."

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor observed as Sir Robert emerged from a doorway and approached the Queen as she exited her carriage.

"Your Majesty." Sir Robert greeted nervously as he bowed.

"Sir Robert." The Queen returned kindly "My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?"

"She's…" He hesitated "indisposed, I'm afraid - she's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her - the kitchens are barely stocked… I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." 

Rose and the Doctor exchanged a look at the obvious attempt to keep the Queen away.

The Queen seemingly unaware of this replied cheerfully "Oh, not at all! I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is… charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?"

Rose's eyes widened as she heard 'Torchwood' and she realised that this was when it started, at this house, by this Queen.

"And please excuse the naked girl." The Queen said softly.

"Sorry…" Rose apologised as Sir Robert glanced at her.

"She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in Old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so…"

Rose rolled her eyes "Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." She looked towards the Queen "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?"

Sir Robert nodded and began to lead them into the house.

"So close." Rose whispered to the Doctor who smirked at her.

Captain Reynolds spoke from behind them "Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up."

"Yes, sir." Two soldiers replied as one of them took a small wooden box from the carriage and carried it carefully into the house.

"What's in there, then?" The Doctor asked curiously.

Captain Reynolds glared at him "Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir."

The Doctor pulled a face to Rose and she sniggered.

"The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions."

A soldier said "You heard the orders. Positions, sir."

The Doctor nodded towards the house and took Rose's hand in his as they followed the others.

OoOoOo

The Doctor and Rose followed Sir Robert and Queen Victoria into the Observatory with the monks from last time dressed as household staff coming in behind them.

"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." The Queen asked Sir Robert curiously, never taking her eyes off what looked to be an large telescope in the centre of the room.

Sir Robert inclined his head, confirming the Queens statement "All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession - he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."

The Doctor smiled softly "I wish I'd met him, I like him. That things beautiful - can I um…?" he gestured towards it.

Sir Robert nodded "Help yourself."

Rose followed the Doctor over to the telescope and the wheel next to it.

"What did he model it on?" Rose asked curiously.

The Doctor looked at her approvingly as Sir Robert replied "I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little… shall we say, eccentric." The Doctor laughed at that, Sir Robert continued looking a little more wistful "I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories."

Rose smiled sadly at him as the Doctor continued to examine the telescope.

"It's a bit rubbish." Rose snorted and turned to the Doctor as he continued oblivious to everyone else "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a-" He cut himself off as he noticed Rose's amused look "Am I being rude again?"

"Yep." She whispered back with a laugh.

The Doctor quickly turned back to Sir Robert who looked a little offended "But it's pretty! It's very… pretty."

"Nice save!" Rose muttered as she patted him fondly on the arm, the Doctor rolled his eyes at her.

Queen Victoria ignored them both as she turned to Sir Robert "And the imagination of it should be applauded."

Rose piped up "Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Queen Victoria just stared blankly at her "You could easily… not be amused, or something…? No?"

"This device surveys the infinite work of God." The Doctor hid a smile at Rose's put out expression when the Queen continued "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

The Doctor grinned at Rose "Stars and magic. I like him more and more." He wandered around the telescope to examine it more.

The Queen smiled with a distant look in her eyes "Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." She spoke to Rose "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

The Doctor leaned in beside Rose, whispering in her ear "That's Bavaria."

The Queen turned to Sir Robert "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."

The Doctor's eyes lit up with interest "So, what's this wolf, then?"

Sir Robert shifted nervously, something that didn't go unnoticed by either Rose or the Doctor, as he tried to evade the question "It's just a story."

"Then tell it." The Doctor said.

Sir Robert glanced at the monks uncomfortably but he began haltingly "It's said that-"

The monk interrupted "Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could retire to their rooms. It's almost dark."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the 'household staff', more so when Sir Robert replied with palpable relief "Of course. Yes, of course."

The Queen smiled "And then supper. And… could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."

Rose said pointedly "It's not amusing, is it?"

The Doctor whispered, amused "Tone it down a bit…" Rose just poked him in the side causing him to chuckle.

The Queen glanced at her for a moment before she decided to ignore that comment and turned back to Sir Robert "Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all… there is a full moon tonight."

"So there is, Ma'am." He laughed nervously and bowed, leaving the room followed by the Queen.

Rose muttered to the Doctor "Is it just me… or did Sir Robert seem scared when we mentioned the wolf?"

The Doctor looked down at his Rose and saw concern in her eyes for Sir Robert but also excitement at the possibility of an adventure and he grinned "I think there's more to this wolf than Sir Robert's letting on."

OoOoOo

The minute Rose entered her room she shut the door and made her way over to the wardrobe where she knew Flora was and opened it quietly.

The maid was crouched down, breathing heavily and looking up at Rose with fear in her eyes.

Rose held out her hand to Flora and led her over to the bed "I'm not gonna hand you over to the monks… or the wolf." She added as an after thought.

"You know?" The maid asked incredulously.

"Parts…" Rose shrugged "Tell me what happened 'ere, me and the Doctor… we can help."

Flora nodded nervously "They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady."

Rose squeezed her hand comfortingly "Look… we've gotta go, quickly to the Doctor otherwise they'll find us."

Flora's eyes widened as she protested "B-but I cant, Miss."

Rose smiled softly "What's your name?"

"Flora."

"Well then, Flora… we gotta be quick and get downstairs."

The maid nodded hesitantly as she stood up and cautiously followed Rose to the door and out into the corridor.

Rose took Flora's hand as she lead the maid down the corridor, they eventually came across the unconscious guards and Flora whispered "Oh, Miss. I did warn you!"

"They're not dead…" Rose whispered back as she pulled Flora passed the men "We've just gotta -"

Rose was cut off as her and Flora were both grabbed and dragged away like last time.

OoOoOo

Both Flora and Rose were thrown into the cellar with the other prisoners and chained up.

Lady Isobel warned them "Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us."

"That's a lie." Rose replied with a smile "They just don't want to be found out."

"How do you know, Miss?" Flora asked.

Rose turned to the other prisoners "Because to devour us, all he needs is the moon." She turned to the window and said "So we need to get out of 'ere… because soon there'll be a full moon."

The wolf chuckled "ohh… intelligence…"

Rose snorted.

"Don't enrage it!" The Steward warned fearfully.

Rose smiled kindly at him "The minute the moon comes out, he'll devour us… whether we enrage it or not, so we need to find a way out of 'ere or we'll all die."

The Steward, Flora, Lady Isobel and the others all stared at Rose, fear was obvious in their eyes.

The wolf just laughed and lunged forward "Inside your eyes!" It exclaimed "You've seen it too!"

Rose smirked at him as she confirmed "I burned like the sun."

She could feel the smugness and pride radiating from Bad Wolf in her mind and inwardly rolled her eyes.

Rose's eyes widened as moonlight washed over the wolf and the creature sighed contently causing the prisoners to look at it in confusion.

"Listen to me!" She half-shouted making them turn to her and commanded "We need to get out, so pull the chain, all of ya!"

When they didn't move Rose growled in annoyance and shouted "Pull!"

OoOoOo

The chain finally came free as the wolf screamed in agony as it transformed.

Rose ran to the door and slammed her hands angrily at it as she realised it was locked, last time the Doctor had kicked it in.

She heard the wolf groan and screamed "Doctor!" as she moved away from the door.

Moments later the door was kicked in, the Doctor ran down to Rose and looked her over quickly as she grinned at him.

Sir Robert followed the Doctor down and grabbed his wife's hand as he warned her "Get out!"

The household staff all followed the Lady Isobel and Sir Robert as they ran out of the door with only Rose and the Doctor left as he finally noticed the werewolf "Oh, that's beautiful!"

The wolf growled at them and started to bend the bars.

"Time to go?" Rose asked.

"Yep!" The Doctor agreed with a grin as he took her hand and ran through the door, locking it behind them with the sonic screwdriver.

They ran into the kitchen where the Steward was passing out weapons and Sir Robert and his wife were speaking.

The Doctor unlocked the handcuffs from Rose as he asked "Did it say what it wanted?"

"The Empire of the Wolf," Rose whispered, careful not to draw the others attention, especially since the wolf hadn't actually given that away this time, "It wants to bite the Queen and pass into her…"

The Doctor looked slightly panicked at that "Then we need to find her."

"Good idea." Rose nodded.

There was a loud thumping sound from the direction of the cellar and the Doctor poked his head out of the door. He ran back into the room when the rest of them heard a loud growl, The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her behind the men who had their guns ready.

"Fire!" The Steward shouted as the wolf appeared in the doorway, said wolf stumbled back a few steps and the Steward repeated "Fire!"

Rose flinched as the guns went off, the room quickly filling with smoke.

OoOoOo

When the smoke was starting to clear, there was no sign of the wolf.

"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." The Doctor ordered.

"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth-"

Rose cut the Steward off "And what if it isn't from Earth?"

"What?" The Steward asked incredulously.

"You saw it transform, what creature on 'God's Earth' have you seen before that can do that?"

The Doctor cut in "Rose is right, so we need to go upstairs."

Rose took the Stewards hand as he was about to protest further and reasoned "Even if the wolf is dead, going upstairs wont harm."

The Steward sighed and nodded, moving to follow the Doctor and Rose but they stop immediately as they see one of the gunmen get pulled through the ceiling and hear him get devoured.

"Oh, my God!" Rose exclaimed.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted over them, grabbing Rose's arm and dragging her through the door with the Steward and Sir Robert following swiftly behind them.

OoOoOo

As the door slammed shut behind them, the Doctor turned and locked it with the sonic screwdriver as Rose, the Steward and Sir Robert watched as Queen Victoria hurried down the stairs.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert exclaimed in relief.

"Sir Robert!" The Queen responded "What's happening?" The Doctor dashed off "I heard such terrible noises."

"Your Majesty - we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?"

"Captain Reynolds disposed of him."

The Doctor interrupted further talk as he came back and informed them "The front doors no good, it's been boarded shut." He turned to the Queen "Pardon me, Your Majesty - you'll have to leg it out of a window."

He gestured through a door and the Queen obliged gracefully as Sir Robert and the Steward followed behind her. Rose and the Doctor going in last.

"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress." Sir Robert said.

The Queen smiled "A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh."

The Doctor rolled his eyes impatiently "Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?"

Sir Robert climbed onto the windowsill but immediately dodged out of the way as he was shot at from the monks outside.

"I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside."

"Do they know who I am?" The Queen asked imperiously.

"Yeah." Rose said awkwardly "That's why they want ya, the wolf's lined you up for a biting."

"Now, stop this talk. There cant be an actual wolf." The minute the words left the Queen's mouth they heard howling that rang through the entire house.

"Got any silver bullets, Doc?" Rose asked.

He smirked "Not on me, no."

"Shame." Rose said "So any other ideas?"

"Run?"

"Thought so."

The Steward, Sir Robert and Queen Victoria just stared at them incredulously.

The Doctor turned to the three of them and said "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." He jogged on the spot to demonstrate "Good for the health. Come on!" He grabbed the Queen's hand and led her out of the room and up the staircase as Rose, Sir Robert and the Steward followed quickly as the wolf broke down the door and chased after them.

"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor yelled as they ran through the corridors.

It was about ready to pounce when Captain Reynold's appeared holding a gun, he shot the wolf and it reeled backwards down the corridor. He ducked behind the corridor where the others were standing and was panting as he said "I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty - I went to look for the Property, it was taken. The chest was empty."

"I have it. It's safe."

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert - you're a traitor to the crown." He cocked his gun.

"Bullets cant stop it!" The Doctor shouted.

Rose drowned out whatever was said next as she asked Bad Wolf "Can I save him?"

Bad Wolf hummed "Of course… the wolf will follow the Queen, not you… I frighten it." Rose can hear the smugness in her voice as she spoke the last three words and she inwardly chuckled.

"Rose!" She just heard the Doctor shouting her as she watched the wolf edge towards her and the Captain.

"Protect the Queen!" She yelled back as she stood beside the Captain.

They heard a door slam shut and another cry of her name as the wolf pounced.

Rose tackled the Captain to the ground as he fired his gun, managing to hit the wolf and causing the wolf to miss them by inches as they fell to the ground. The wolf turned and growled at them viciously but continued after the Queen as Rose's eyes flashed gold in warning.

The Captain groaned as Rose got off him and helped him to his feet.

"What -"

She cut him off "Look, we need to get down to the kitchens… it's the only way we can save them."

He paused for a moment, then nodded. This… companion of the Doctor's had just saved his life, the least he could do was listen. For now.

"Lead the way, Miss Tyler."

Rose grinned at him and grabbed his hand as she pulled him down the corridor away from the wolf and down into the kitchens.

OoOoOo

"Miss! Captain!" Rose and Captain Reynolds heard Flora exclaim as they entered the kitchen.

"The wolf cut us off from the others." Rose explained "So is there anything we can do to help?"

Lady Isobel smiled and informed them as she pointed out to the monks "They're all garlanded in mistletoe and the wolf doesn't attack them."

Rose grinned at her "So we have a weapon against it!"

The Captain caught on "We need to gather it up."

"Every scrap!" Lady Isobel agreed as all of them gathered the mistletoe in the kitchen.

OoOoOo

The maids, lady Isobel, Rose and the Captain all worked fast, chopping up mistletoe.

"No sound of the wolf, my Lady." Flora said "Perhaps it's gone." 

"Perhaps it's toying with us. But my husband's up there. And if there's any chance he's still alive, then by God, I'll assist him." Lady Isobel said firmly.

Rose smiled and informed them confidently "The Doctor will keep 'em alive: Sir Robert, the Queen and the Steward."

Lady Isobel smiled at Rose in thanks as Flora threw some mistletoe into boiling water.

OoOoOo

The maids, Lady Isobel, Rose and the Captain heard the Steward yell out as they raced down the corridor.

Lady Isobel threw the boiling mistletoe water onto the wolf just as it went to attack the Steward.

"Good shot!" The Doctor exclaimed as the wolf bounded back down the corridor away from them.

Rose threw her arms around the Doctor as he sighed in relief at seeing her alive.

"Don't ever do that again." He warned, his voice deadly serious as his eyes betrayed how worried and concerned he'd been.

"It was mistletoe!" Lady Isobel explained.

"Isobel!" Sir Robert exclaimed, hugging his wife and kissing her as the Captain and the Steward ensured the wolf was gone.

Rose kissed the Doctor lightly and said "I couldn't leave him to die."

He rested his head against hers for a moment "…I understand."

"Get back downstairs." Sir Robert said to his wife as the Doctor and Rose broke apart.

"Keep yourself safe!" Lady Isobel warned, he nodded and they kissed again.

"You go." Sir Robert turned to the Steward "Keep her safe."

"Girls, come with me. Down the back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!" Lady Isobel, the Steward and the maids walked passed Sir Robert and made their way back down to the kitchen.

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted then and the Queen, Rose, Captain Reynolds and Sir Robert set off at a run down the corridor "The observatory's this way!"

They reached the central staircase and hurried up as quickly as they could before they arrived in the observatory.

"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!"

"No." Rose said firmly "Work fast Doctor and Sir Robert, Captain Reynolds and I will hold it off."

Sir Robert and the Captain both nodded in agreement.

The Doctor looked at her.

"Work fast." She commanded as Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds made for the door. She shut the door behind her not looking at the Doctor as she stood between Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds.

They heard the wolf howling as it came closer to them.

"Let me deal with it." Rose whispered.

"Miss Ty-"

She cut the Captain off "Please, just let me try first."

The Captain and Sir Robert were both taken aback as her eyes flashed gold as she asked them to let her go first.

The two men exchanged a look. On the one hand it wouldn't be right for them to let a young girl hold off such a creature on her own. But on the other hand the second they had looked into her eyes, they had been filled with certainty that this small woman could hold off the wolf long enough for the Doctor to do whatever it was he needed.

The werewolf growled as it approached them slowly from the end of the corridor, Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds tensed and drew their weapons but made no move towards the wolf.

Rose stepped forward, Bad Wolf coming to the front of her mind and the wolf hesitated as it saw the Golden Wolf who burned brighter than the sun step in its way.

It snarled at her but the Golden Wolf didn't flinch or move, she just stared at the wolf calmly a golden glow surrounding her making the two humans gape at her in awe.

Bad Wolf whispered "The Queen will be bitten, you know… I cant hold him off forever."

Rose smiled "I know, but I'm not letting either Sir Robert or Captain Reynolds die."

Bad Wolf chuckled "Have you considered Sir Robert was meant to die?"

"No."

She chuckled but nodded "Very well…"

Rose sighed as she felt Bad Wolf retreat back into her mind but nearly jumped as all three of them heard Bad Wolf's ethereal voice "Get into the room now… the wolf will die."

Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds pulled Rose back into the room and slammed the door behind them.

The Doctor and Queen Victoria stared at the three of them.

"You managed it yet?" Rose asked brightly.

The Doctor grinned "Just about."

Rose joined the Doctor as the Captain and Sir Robert flanked the Queen.

The wolf broke into the room as moonlight washed through the room just short of the werewolf.

The wolf growled and approached the Queen but the Doctor dived across the floor and threw the Koh-I-Noor into a beam of light. A brilliant beam of light then hit's the werewolf and he is lifted from the floor and hung in midair caught in the wash of the moonlight.

As the five of them looked on the werewolf retook human form.

The man spoke quietly "Make it brighter. Let me go."

The Doctor walked across to the light chamber and flicked a switch. With a final howl from the wolf, the creature vanished and the light shut off.

Rose, Captain Reynolds and Sir Robert breathed out in relief as the Queen stared intently at a wound on her wrist as the Doctor observed her.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?"

"No, its… it's a cut."

"If that thing bit you…"

The Queen glared at him "It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart."

"Let me see."

She pulled her hand away sharply "It is nothing."

Rose and the Doctor shared a disbelieving look.

OoOoOo

The Doctor and Rose stepped forward and knelt before the Queen as Sir Robert, Lady Isobel, Captain Reynolds, the Steward, the maids and soldiers looked on.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS." She tapped him on each shoulder with a sword before she turned to Rose "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate." She tapped her on each shoulder with the sword and said "You may stand."

Both of them rise "Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor grinned at her.

Rose smiled "Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home!"

Flora, Lady Isobel, Sir Robert and even Captain Reynolds smiled at Rose's comment.

The Doctor said "Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave."

"Indeed. Then you may think on this also: that I am not amused."

The Doctor groaned and Rose grinned happily as she squeezed his arm.

"Not remotely amused."

Rose attempted to wipe the smirk off her face knowing what was coming next.

"And henceforth… I banish you."

The Doctor looked stunned "I'm sorry…?"

The Queen replied angrily "I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars - and magic - and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life." Queen Victoria stepped back and commanded "Now leave my world. And never return."

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor were about to hitch a lift as Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds approached them.

"We were wondering if we might have a word with, Dame Tyler before she left." Captain Reynolds said.

Rose nodded with a smile "I'll be back in a minute."

She followed Sir Robert and the Captain to a secluded part of the courtyard.

"I never thanked you for saving my life, Dam-"

"Call me Rose." She said with a smile.

"Thank you, Rose." The Captain said with a smile.

Sir Robert coughed awkwardly then "I should thank you as well, if you hadn't done what you did, neither I nor the Captain here would be alive."

She smiled "Don't mention it… I'd appreciate it, if nobody knew about the whole glowing gold and stopping the wolf on my own?"

The Captain and Sir Robert nodded "It's the least we can do for you, Ma'am."

Rose grinned at them "Well… I'll be going." She motioned to the cart "It was nice meeting you both."

"Likewise Ma'am." The Captain replied with a smile.

OoOoOo

The Doctor and Rose got off the cart near the TARDIS.

"Cheers, Dougal!" The Doctor thanked and waved as the farmer drove off "You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record haemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it her dad didn't have it - it came from nowhere!"

"So, what you're saying is that the Queen's a werewolf?"

He beamed at her "Could be a Victorian euphemism… Haemophilia."

"For werewolf?"

"Could be!"

Rose laughed "Queen Victoria's a werewolf?"

"Could be!" He repeated "And, her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."

"The Royal Family are werewolves?"

"Well… maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take... a hundred years to mature... might be ready by… oooh… early 21st century...?" He smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes "Nah! That's just ridiculous! Mind you… Princess Anne…!"

He grinned "I'll say no more."

"And if you think about it... they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They - they could schedule themselves around the moon - we'd never know!"

The Doctor sniggered as they reached the TARDIS and opened the doors.

They walked in as Rose continued "They like hunting! They love blood sports!"

The Doctor laughed.

"Oh my God, they're werewolves!"

Rose and the Doctor laughed together as the TARDIS dematerialised.

OoOoOo

I'm really sorry if this chapter wasn't up to scratch… I'm really unhappy with it. Mainly because I don't really like this episode so I think you can tell in my writing. Really sorry about that.

Hope you liked me saving the Steward, Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds.


	23. Chapter 17 - School Reunion

**Time Can Be Rewritten**

Disclaimer : I don't own anything

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed and added this story to your favourites, I really appreciate it.

I have also added a poll on my account as to whether Jackie and Pete will be in the parallel world or in Rose's at the end of Doomsday, I have story lines for both and would appreciate it if you guys took the time to vote, or just tell me in a review.

I hope you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one!

OoOoOo

**School Reunion**

"That was Mickey." Rose said as she hung up.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows but didn't look up from the book he was reading "What did he say?" he asked after a moment.

She rolled her eyes at his lack of interest, that'd change soon, Bad Wolf chuckled in her mind "Freakishly smart kids at a high school… UFO sighting…" she said offhandedly, walking towards the console room before she turned around in the door frame "Oh, and a…er, journalist named Sarah-Jane Smith."

The Doctor's head shot up at that but Rose had already dashed out of the library.

OoOoOo

"Sarah-Jane Smith, you say?" He inquired curiously as he sauntered into the console room where Rose was sat in the Captain's chair.

"Hmm-hm."

The Doctor let out a noise of frustration as Rose didn't look at him once as she tried to hide her smile.

"Rose!" He was whining.

She snorted "Don't whine, Doctor."

He rolled his eyes "Now that I've gotten your attention, what was this about a journelist?"

Rose cocked her head to the side and shrugged "You mean, Sarah-Jane Smith?"

He nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"Who was your companion for several years."

The Doctor looked uncomfortable.

Rose grinned at him as she said "Tell me about her!"

The Doctor looked bemused for a moment "O-okay?"

Rose sniggered "How come you've never mentioned a Sarah-Jane before? Or any other 'companions' for that matter?"

Rose could see the wall go up between them as she said this and watched as the Doctor attempted to lock away his emotions.

But she continued "I mean, they're a part of your life and even if you cant see them again, you always have your memories."

The Doctor stared at her with an unreadable expression.

Rose walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him "That's why you don't mention them, isn't it? Because some of them are… gone?"

The Doctor swallowed thickly as he nodded "Or they made their own life… or like Sarah, I regrettably didn't go back for her."

"You mean, you left 'er?"

The Doctor nodded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he replied "I, er, I was summoned to Gallifrey."

"Your home?"

He nodded again "I promised her that I wouldn't forget her."

Rose smiled "And you haven't."

The Doctor frowned "How did you know about Sarah?"

Rose smiled sheepishly "I may have been snooping…"

He raised his eyebrows.

"The TARDIS didn't stop me!" She defended as the Doctor took on an amused look "If anything she helped, opening doors and flickering lights leadin' the way."

The Doctor snorted "She wants you to know about me…" he stroked the TARDIS fondly as Rose grinned at him.

"So do I." He muttered "So Miss Tyler, what would you like to know?"

Rose beamed at him as she began firing off questions about former companions and adventures.

This time she didn't want to argue with Sarah Jane Smith, she had quite liked her last time after they had both gotten over their petty jealousy. And Rose hoped Donna and Martha wouldn't get in the way of her and the Doctor when they found them, but if they were as good as Jack had suggested, Rose doubted they would.

OoOoOo

They had finally landed and Rose opened the door to find Mickey out there waiting for them.

He beamed at Rose, giving her a hug as he nodded to the Doctor who had emerged from behind her.

"So, what do you think of being a-"

"I'm so not being…" She paused for effect, grimacing as she said "a dinner lady."

Mickey sniggered as the Doctor rolled his eyes "Come on, Rose… it's not that bad."

"Well, what are you gonna be?"

"Physics teacher."

Rose pouted "Stupid alien Timelord intelligence…"

Mickey snorted.

Rose's eyes lit up "What about Mickey?"

"What about Mickey?" Mickey asked cautiously.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Mickey needs to stay outside the school."

Rose slumped as she relented "…Fine…" she glared at him "But you owe me one."

The Doctor grinned at her before he kissed her softly.

OoOoOo

Rose scowled as she spooned food onto teenagers and teachers plates, sighing impatiently as she waited for the Doctor to appear for lunch.

"Suits you." She heard him laugh.

Rose glared up at the Doctor as she spooned the mashed potato onto his plate "I _will _get you back for this."

He chuckled, amused as he went over to one of the empty tables.

Once the line of people ended, Rose walked over to his table with a dishcloth and wiped his table down as she spoke with a growl "Two days."

The Doctor smirked "Sorry, could you just - there's a bit of gravy." He pointed to a spot on the table and Rose wiped it "No, no - just there."

Rose scowled at him as she wiped it up "You're enjoying this, arent you?"

He sniggered "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes "This is all Mickey's fault."

The Doctor grinned "Well, he was right about something going on here."

Rose sat down opposite him and listened intently, although she knew what was going to happen she still liked how he was when he got all detective-y.

He leaned forwards "Boy in class this morning - got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth."

Rose arched an eyebrow before she looked pointedly at his chips, her increased intelligence last time had helped figure it out although she had no doubts he could do it anyway she still asked "You eating those chips?"

His nose crinkled slightly as he grimaced, "Yeah, they're a bit… different."

Rose grinned as she swiped a chip "I think they're gorgeous. Wish I had school dinners like this." She fully agreed with that - the added intelligence would have been useful, though she could do without the murderous aliens behind it all.

The Doctor ignored her and looked around the canteen, squinting slightly "It's very well behaved, this place."

Rose continued eating the chips as she made a sound of agreement "Mm."

"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones."

Rose sniggered as he stared at her looking impressed with himself "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."

Rose grinned at him as a dinner lady approached the table.

The woman glared at Rose "You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting."

Rose rolled her eyes and said "This teacher was just complaining about the chips."

The Doctor cheerily said "Hello!" as the dinner lady turned her glare on him.

She sounded affronted as she defended the food "The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance." She then turned sharply back to Rose and ordered "Now, get back to work."

Rose rolled her eyes, but she stood up anyway "See?" She asked walking backwards away from the table as the Doctor grinned "This is me." She gestured down at her uniform "The dinner lady."

"I'll have the crumble."

Rose snorted "I'm so gonna kill you."

She returns over to her station as the Doctor continued grinning manically, but her attention was caught as she watched one of the other teachers approach one of the students.

"Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me… so it's time we moved you up to the top class."

Rose frowned wondering how she hadn't noticed that last time, what he'd said, 'Milo's failed me,' didn't sound like something a teacher should say about a student… but maybe she was just seeing more into it because she knew what was happening this time around.

Rose left the hall and entered the kitchen to begin the washing up and was drying a tray when the dinner ladies entered carefully wheeling in a barrel of oil.

Rose watched them warily, even knowing what happened last time she was extremely cautious of being around alien dinner ladies.

"I said keep it steady. Careful…" One of the dinner ladies ordered "That's it… easy now… steady…"

Rose jumped as her mobile rang, she had forgotton that she had asked Mickey to phone her "Yeah?" She asked as she answered it quietly, still keeping her eyes on the aliens.

"I just got into army records." Mickey said, sounding proud of himself, Rose inwardly smiled she had never really acknowledged how _good_ Mickey was but now she could see how everyone had underestimated him.

"Three months ago, massive UFO sightings - lights in the sky, all of that. I cant get any photo's, 'cause then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out." Mickey continued.

Rose frowned as she replied "Three months ago, all the kitchen staff were replaced." She watched as the dinner ladies wheeled in a second barrel with extreme caution "And these lot are weird."

"See, there's something going on!" Mickey said happily.

Rose sniggered "I already knew that, you muppet."

Mickey scoffed "Yeah, but I found this case last time as well… so…"

"Yeah, yeah… you're awesome, blah blah…" Rose laughed.

"Yeah, but this time I get to be involved!"

"Like with the robot Santas?"

"Maybe not that involved." Mickey said warily, remembering the chase through London and the homicidal Christmas tree.

Rose sniggered "You're gonna have to be if you're comin' with me and the Doctor."

"You sure you want me?"

"Mickey, I love ya… not in the way I love the Doctor but-"

Mickey cut her off "Alright, alright, if you insist."

Rose snorted "Didn't take much persuasion."

"Okay, you caught me… I actually can't wait to go on an actual adventure with you and him."

Rose laughed as she exclaimed victoriously "I knew it!"

Mickey chuckled "Yeah, yeah…"

Rose's attention was then caught as some of the oil spilled onto one of the dinner ladies who then started to scream in agony as her skin smoked.

"I'll call you back." She informed Mickey, her tone turning serious before she hung up.

"Get her up, get her up!" One of the dinner ladies commanded urgently as the others hoisted the injured one to her feet.

Rose frowned but didn't speak up as the dinner ladies hustled the injured one into the office, ducking behind something quickly as the head dinner lady looked around the kitchen quickly before closing the door behind her.

Rose remained hidden as she heard sounds of something bursting into flames followed by smashing and a billow of smoke fogging up the window before the partition was closed quickly.

OoOoOo

The Doctor opened a fire door ahead of them and emerged into a dark corridor with Rose and Mickey following closely behind him.

"Oh, its weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong." They walked cautiously down the corridor as Rose spoke "When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."

"All right, team." The Doctor said, ignoring Rose "Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um… 'gang'. Um… 'comrades'. Uh… anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. I'm gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes."

He grinned at them before he took off up the stairs.

"You gonna be alright?"

Mickey scoffed "Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this." He stode away confidently.

Rose smirked as she waited for him to come back and arched an eyebrow as he came to stand back in front of her.

"Where's the Maths department?"

Rose sniggered as she pointed in the opposite direction "Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right."

He grinned sheepishly "Thank you."

OoOoOo

Rose took the lid off the barrel of oil and spooned some into a small jar before a shadow passed over her, followed by a screech making her look up sharply.

OoOoOo

Rose ran down the same corridor as last time as she heard Mickey wail, she almost collided with the Doctor and Sarah-Jane as she asked them "Did you hear that?" She grinned at the older woman "You must be Sarah-Jane, he wouldn't shut up about you back on the TARDIS."

The Doctor scratched his ears awkwardly as his cheeks reddened slightly whilst Sarah-Jane looked pleasantly surprised by Rose's statement.

"Oh?" She asked, a happy smile on her lips.

"Yeah, it's great meeting you by the way."

Sarah-Jane's smile was much less fake this time as she shook Rose's hand. "Likewise."

"Rose Tyler."

The Doctor was smiling in slight bemusement as Rose happily accepted Sarah-Jane as was the older woman who looked bewildered at Rose's easy acceptance.

Before he contemplated it further, the Doctor ran off again with Rose and Sarah-Jane following after him.

They proceeded to find Mickey in one of the classrooms, surrounded by vacuum-packed rats.

"Sorry!" Mickey said as he stumbled away from the rats "Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I - I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them."

The Doctor bent down and picked up a few to examine as Rose grimaced "Vacuum-packed rats… great."

The Doctor smirked at Mickey "And you decided to scream."

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended.

"Like a little girl?"

Mickey protested "It was dark! I was covered in rats!"

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."

Mickey sputtered indignantly.

"Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?" Rose asked.

Sarah-Jane spoke up "Maybe they use them in biology lessons, they dissect them."

Rose frowned "I don't think they do that anymore, I hope they don't do that anymore." She added quietly, her nose crinkling in disgust.

Mickey snorted as the Doctor and Sarah-Jane smiled faintly.

"So everything started three months ago, when that new headmaster Mr. Finch arrived, so why don't we go and check out his office." Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded and lead the way out of the room after he threw the rat he was holding to Mickey who dropped it quickly.

OoOoOo

"So, what exactly do you do?" Rose asked Sarah-Jane as they walked ahead of the Doctor and Mickey "The Doctor said you were a journalist back when you was travelling together, but it looks like you came here looking for adventure." Rose finished with a grin.

Sarah-Jane smiled "I suppose I noticed the same things as you did, UFO sightings, increased intelligence…" She paused and looked at Rose for a moment "It's not as exciting as travelling to different planets, but looking into strange, possibly alien, things is better than ordinary journalism."

Rose laughed as she nodded in agreement.

The Doctor and Mickey merely looked confused at the pleasant exchange between the two women, the Doctor had been half expecting them to fight.

OoOoOo

Rose, Mickey and Sarah-Jane watched on silently as the Doctor unlocked the door of the Headmaster's office with the sonic screwdriver.

"Maybe those rats were food." The Doctor said curiously.

"Food for what?" Rose asked quietly.

The Doctor opened the door slowly and peered inside, looking upwards at the ceiling "Rose… you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school…? Well… they do."

He opened the door a bit wider and the four of them just stared up at the aliens hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Mickey turned on his heel "No way!"

Sarah-Jane and Rose quickly followed him out with the Doctor going last and shutting the door behind him.

The four of them ran through the building, hurring out of the front doors of the school quickly.

Mickey panted as he said "I am not going back in there. No way."

Rose looked at the Doctor "Those were the teachers!"

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teacherss, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on." The Doctor said before he began to walk back inside.

"Come on- you've got to be kidding!" Mickey hissed incredulously.

"We need the TARDIS." The Doctor replied "I've got to analyse that oil from the kitchen."

Sarah-Jane grinned "I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you!" She grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him excitedly towards her car.

She opened up the boot of her car and the Doctor pulled the blanket off the figure, revealing K9.

"K9!" The Doctor exclaimed excitedly as he turned to Rose "Rose, Mickey Smith - allow me to introduce K9 - well, K9 Mark III to be precise."

Rose grinned at the Doctor's enthusiasm as she asked "Why does he look so… disco?"

"Oi!" The Doctor said indignantly "Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge!" Rose sniggered as the Doctor turned to Sarah-Jane "What's happened to him?"

"Oh, one day, he just… nothing!"

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?"

Mickey shook his head and Rose rolled her eyes as Sarah-Jane replied "Well, it's not like getting parts for a mini-metro! Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!"

The Doctor cooed at K9, stroking the tin dog gently as he said "Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you? Eh?"

Rose rolled her eyes as she teased "Careful, you might make the TARDIS jealous."

Sarah-Jane chuckled and Mickey grinned as the Doctor scowled at her.

OoOoOo

The four of them decided to go to a chip shop as the Doctor attempted to fix K9 whilst Sarah-Jane sat opposite him and Rose and Mickey paid for a portion chips.

"Two quid, love." The shopkeeper said as Rose handed over the money quietly before her and Mickey sat at a different table.

"Might as well give 'em some time to catch up." Rose said with a smile as she started digging in.

"You're not even a little jealous?" Mickey asked quietly.

Rose grinned "I trust 'im… besides Sarah-Jane was his 'companion' once, of course he'll want to catch up."

Mickey merely shrugged "If you say so."

Rose rolled her eyes.

They were broken out of the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them by K9's proclaimation of "Master!"

The Doctor was ecstatic as he responded "He recognises me!"

"Affirmative."

The Doctor looked up at Rose and Mickey who had walked over to join them and took the oil off Rose which she had out ready for him.

"Careful, though, that dinner lady got all scalded."

"I'm no dinner lady." Rose snorted at the Doctor's comment, he frowned "And I don't often say that."

He dipped his finger into the oil and K9 put out a sensor for the Doctor to put it onto, which he proceeded to do.

"Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."

"Oil." K9 stuttered through his words "Ex- ex- ex- extract ana- an- analysing…"

Mickey grinned as he said, sounding delighted "Listen to it, man! That's a voice!"

"Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah-Jane reprimanded as Mickey looked sheepish.

"Confirmation of analysis - substance is Krillitane Oil."

K9's words shocked the Doctor as he said "They're Krillitanes."

"I take it that's bad." Rose stated.

The Doctor turned to look at her "Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."

"And what are… Krillitanes?" Sarah-Jane asked curiously.

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries - people you've invaded or have been invaded by, you've got bits - bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever - the Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognise them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."

"What're they doing here?" Mickey asked.

A look of dawning horror crossed the Doctor's face as he told them "It's the children. They're doing something to the children."

OoOoOo

Mickey went to help Sarah-Jane put K9 back in her car as Rose and the Doctor lingered outside the chip shop.

"Thank you." He said softly.

"What for?" Rose asked curiously.

"For getting along with Sarah, for saying I didn't shut up about her even when I only mentioned her after you brought her up…"

Rose smiled fondly at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck "Well, you're welcome… but Sarah-Jane's a part of your past and I wanted to know, besides I like 'er."

The Doctor beamed at her.

"And I think if I'd said you never mentioned her, no matter how good your reasons, I think it would've hurt her." Rose continued, remembering how the first time she had purposely tried to make Sarah-Jane jealous and hurt over the Doctor never mentioning her.

"Well, it's the curse of the Time Lords… to live alone."

Rose smiled "Not anymore, you have me."

The Doctor smirked down at her "Yes… I do, don't I…" he whispered the last words as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

But they jumped apart as they heard a screech, ducking quickly as one of the Krillitane creatures swooped down towards them before it flew away.

They noticed Mr Finch on the roof before they turned their attention back to the other Krillitane as it flew overhead screeching.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah-Jane asked as her and Mickey ran back over.

OoOoOo

Rose, Sarah-Jane, the Doctor and Mickey emerged from Sarah-Jane's car the next day as the school bell rang, they strode towards the school before the Doctor paused and turned to the three humans.

"Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this." The Doctor handed the screwdriver to Rose this time as Sarah-Jane looked a little peeved. He turned to Mickey "Mickey - surveillance. I want you outside."

"Just stand outside?"

Sarah-Jane threw the car keys to him "Here, take these - you can keep K9 company."

The Doctor smirked "Don't forget to leave the window open a crack."

"But he's metal!" Mickey protested.

Rose rolled her eyes "Don't listen to him, Mickey, he's winding you up."

The Doctor grinned as he said at the same time "I didn't mean for him."

"What are you going to do?" Sarah-Jane asked.

The Doctor's expression turned serious as he answered "It's time I had a word with Mr Finch."

OoOoOo

Rose had ducked under the desk and held the sonic screwdriver against the back of the computer as it whirred and buzzed.

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah-Jane asked suddenly.

Rose smiled faintly "If it's about me and the Doctor, don't worry about it."

The older woman frowned before realization appeared to hit her "You two are in a relationship, arent you?"

Rose smiled "I think he was toning it down a bit while Mickey was here, he's my ex."

Sarah-Jane nodded.

Rose straightened up "Why?"

"It's just… all the time I knew him, he would never have considered a _real _romantic relationship with a companion."

Rose smiled weakly "I think the deciding factor is that I wont age… or die for as long as the TARDIS lives."

Sarah-Jane stared at Rose in wide-eyed confusion.

"I looked into the heart of the TARDIS… he gave up his life to save mine and regenerated to take the time vortex out of me, but through my actions I can stay with the Doctor for the rest of his life, or for as long as the TARDIS lives."

Sarah-Jane looked a little envious at this but she motioned for Rose to expand a little.

"He was all brooding and serious when I first met 'im, he wore a leather jacket and everything." Rose said with a fond grin, remembering her first Doctor, "I kissed him when I thought we was gonna die in Downing Street with the Slitheen and he kissed back… but he was reluctant to start anything only to lose me later, so I asked the TARDIS to grant me forever when I was connected to her… and she did."

Sarah-Jane smiled wistfully "Then I hope you and the Doctor are happy together, after all he's been through, he deserves it."

Rose grinned at her "He really does."

The older woman looked sad as an uncomfortable silence settled over them, so Rose, remembering what she had done last time to lighten the mood questioned softly "With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd go, 'what?' and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"

Sarah-Jane looked up at Rose with a laugh as she said "All the time!"

Rose and Sarah-Jane laughed for a moment before the elder woman asked "Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?"

"Yeah! Yeah! He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'"

Rose and Sarah-Jane laugh hysterically, leaning on each other as the Doctor walked in and asked "How's it going?"

The sight of him just made them both laugh even harder.

The Doctor frowned at them and asked "What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these."

Rose sniggered and leaned on Sarah-Jane a little as she pointed the sonic at him as the two women continued to laugh.

The Doctor looked genuinely confused as he said "What? Stop it!"

OoOoOo

The three of them paused for a moment as they heard the bell going off.

"They're gonna be rushin' to get in here in a minute." Rose said as she walked over to the door, and sure enough there were children clambering to get in the IT suite occupied by Rose, Sarah-Jane and the Doctor.

"No, no - this classroom's out of bounds. You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall!" Rose shut the door as the kids moved away.

OoOoOo

The Doctor had the sonic screwdriver clenched between his teeth as he ripped out a handful of wires from the computer and hung them around his neck before he grabbed the sonic and ran it along the back of the computer.

The two women watched him anxiously as he said "I cant shift it."

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah-Jane exclaimed.

"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's gotta be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?"

The three of them looked surprised as every computer in the suite displayed a code, including the large screen at the front of the room.

"You wanted the programme - there it is." Sarah-Jane pointed out.

The Doctor stared at it as he muttered "Some sort of code…" his eyes were wide and his mouth opened slightly as he stared at the code before he whispered "No… no, they cant be…"

"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."

"And in English?" Rose asked.

"The… God-maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."

"And what, the kids are like a giant computer?"

"Yes." He paced around the room as he worked it out "And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a - as a… conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."

"But that oils on the chips. I've been eating them."

The Doctor looked at Rose and asked "What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?"

Rose answered without thinking "Two thousand and sixty-five."

The Doctor gives her a 'that says it all' look as Sarah-Jane asked "But why use the children? Cant they use adults?"

"No, it's gotta be children. The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code… they're using their souls."

The three of them turned around quickly as they heard Mr Finch say "Let the lesson begin."

The Headmaster approached them slowly as he said "Think of it, Doctor - with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."

"Oh yeah?" The Doctor said "The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch. Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."

Mr Finch smiled calmly "You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."

The Doctor asked sceptically "What, by someone like you?"

"No…" Mr Finch said as though it were obvious "Someone like you."

The Doctor looked astounded for a moment as he watched Mr Finch silently.

Mr Finch smiled again as he implored "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do - think of the civilisations you could save. Perganon, Assinta… your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords… reborn."

Rose took the Doctor's hand and squeezed it softly, as he stared into Mr Finch's eyes unblinkingly.

"Doctor, don't listen to him." Sarah-Jane said firmly.

Mr Finch turned to her and Rose "And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young… fresh… never whither, never age… never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."

The Doctor looked so incredibly tempted and Rose's heart ached for the decision he would have to make.

"I could save everyone…"

"Yes." Mr Finch confirmed.

"I could stop the war…" The Doctor whispered with a haunted look in his eyes as he recalled said war.

A small smile graced Mr Finch's lips.

"No." Sarah-Jane said desperately "The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss - they define us as much as happiness or love." Mr Finch closed his eyes as Sarah-Jane continued "Whether it's a world, or a relationship… everything has its time. And everything ends."

The Doctor stared for a few more seconds but Sarah-Jane's words seemed to strengthen his resolve as he picked up a chair and hurled it at the screen displaying the code, smashing it.

"Out!" He yelled as Sarah-Jane and Rose, still hand in hand with the Doctor followed him out.

They heard a screech echo throughout the school as they ran before they met Mickey and a student at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is going on?" Mickey asked incredulously as he sees three Krillitane flying towards them down the corridor.

The finally reached the canteen where all the doors were locked. The Doctor reached inside his coat for the sonic screwdriver just as Mr Finch and several Krillitanes burst through the doors.

"Are they my teachers?" The student asked fearfully.

"Yeah. Sorry." The Doctor replied.

"Leave the Doctor alive. As for the others… you can feast."

Rose's eyes glowed gold as Bad Wolf growled in her mind when the Krillitanes swooped down and the Doctor tried to beat them off with a chair.

A beam of red light suddenly hit one of the Krillitane and it fell to the ground, dead.

Mr Finch roared with rage as K9 came into view.

"K9!" Sarah-Jane exclaimed happily.

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress."

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted as he lead the way whilst K9 shot down the Krillitanes, the Doctor ushered the others through a door as he ordered "K9, hold them back!"

"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode!"

"Come on!" The Doctor yelled as he locked the door behind them.

"What about the oil?" Rose shouted over to the Doctor as they ran.

"Of course!" He shouted "That's it! Krillitane life forms cant handle the oil! They've changed the physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?"

Rose grinned "Barrels of it."

They jumped as the Krillitanes started to pound on the door with their claws ripping holes in it.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey-"

"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey asked snidely.

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Get all the children unplugged and out of the school. Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"

The student strode over to the fire alarm and broke the case with his elbow before he set it off.

The Doctor beamed and flung open the door and they saw as the Krillitanes were quailing in distress at the shrill alarm and they quickly ran passed before the alarm was shut off.

As they ran down a corridor, K9 emerged from a doorway as he exclaimed "Master!"

"Come on, boy! Good boy." The Doctor said happily as K9 followed them.

The Doctor, Rose, Sarah-Jane, K9 and the student reached the kitchens and the Doctor immediately tried to open one of the oil barrels with his screwdriver before he groaned in annoyance "They've been deadlock sealed!" He tried another "Finch must've done that - I cant open them."

K9 spoke up "The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing."

"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me."

Sarah-Jane, Rose and the student ran out as they left the Doctor knelt in front of K9.

OoOoOo

The minute the Doctor exited the kitchens, Sarah-Jane asked urgently "Where's K9?"

The Doctor ignored her as he said "We need to run."

Sarah-Jane didn't move and Rose and the student looked between her and the Doctor awkwardly.

"Where is he?! What've you done?"

The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her away taking her hand as they ran with Rose and the student following close behind them.

OoOoOo

Rose grinned at Mickey as he joined her, Sarah-Jane and the Doctor, the student stood off to the side as he was joined by several of his classmates.

All of them cheered and applauded as the school exploded and Rose and Mickey joined in, laughing as the Doctor grinned.

The students all started to chant 'Kenny!', the name of the student who had helped them as Mickey, Rose, the Doctor and Sarah-Jane stood to the side.

Sarah-Jane looked distraught as the Doctor apologised softly.

The older woman replied quickly "It's alright. He was just a… daft metal dog. Fine, really." But she burst into tears as the Doctor wrapped his arms around her.

OoOoOo

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors to allow Sarah-Jane in as he asked "Cuppa tea?"

She looked around the TARDIS wide-eyed as she took in the interior, she turned to him as he shut the door "You've redecorated!"

"Do you like it?" He asked with a smile.

She looked around with a smile "Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh… yeah. It'll do!"

"I love it!" Rose said with a grin.

Sarah-Jane smiled "Hey, you - what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty-nine?"

Rose snorted "No idea. It's gone now - the oil's faded."

Sarah-Jane smirked at her "But you're still clever. More than a match for him."

Rose beamed at her "You and me both."

Sarah-Jane nodded.

"You could come with us?" Rose asked as the Doctor fiddled with the computer.

The Doctor looked up and smiled "Yeah, we're about to head off."

Sarah-Jane smiled softly "No…" The Doctor's smile faded "I cant do this anymore." She continued enthusiastically "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."

"What about you, Mickey?" Rose asked "You wanna come?"

Mickey grinned "Can I?"

The Doctor looked uncertain but Sarah-Jane spoke up "Oh, go on, Doctor. Sarah-Jane Smith - a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board!"

The Doctor chuckled "Okay then, I could do with a laugh."

Mickey laughed in delight and Rose giggled at his enthusiasm.

Sarah-Jane smiled "Well, I'd better go."

The Doctor nodded and returned to his computer whilst Mickey wandered away.

Sarah-Jane pulled Rose to the side and embraced her warmly "If you ever need me, or if you just need a friend, you're welcome to visit… you and the Doctor."

Rose grinned as she said with a laugh "I'll make sure we keep in touch at least."

Rose and Sarah-Jane smiled at each other for a moment before the Doctor opened the door for her and she stepped out, the Doctor following her.

Mickey walked over to her as they waited for the Doctor to say goodbye.

"I cant wait for adventure, Rose." Mickey said and she could see the excitement in his eyes.

Rose laughed before she said firmly "Just as long as you remember, you're not the tin dog."

She remembered how sad he had been last time, being compared to a tin dog and how she and the Doctor had both been incredibly rude to him, she'd try to ensure that he wasn't forgotten this time, as much as she could.

Mickey chuckled but she could see he didn't quite believe her.

The Doctor walked back in, closing the doors behind him.

"You shown 'er what you did yet?" Rose asked.

"No, I thought I'd wait until we were gone." He replied with a grin.

They watched on the screen as Sarah-Jane was beamed as she crouched down in front of the new model of K9.

"This isn't goodbye for you, Doctor." Rose stated "She said we were welcome to visit her anytime, and I plan on taking her up on that offer at some point."

OoOoOo

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you didn't please tell me so I can hopefully improve next time.


	24. AN - Sorry

Sorry, this isn't an update.

The other day I got a review on another story assuming I'd given up, and I didn't want you guys to assume the same, but the computer I stored the completed chapters on broke and I'm waiting for the files to be restored or whatever needs doing, I'm assured they are still there!

But I just wanted to say, I haven't given up and that I apologise for the extremely long delay.

The results for the poll of which world Jackie and Pete should stay in is also available on my profile.

Thank you guys for being so patient, I'm also gonna start rewriting some of the earlier chapters soon as well.

I do have another question for you guys, I was going to do a Torchwood fic including Jack from this story once I'd got Season 2 over with, but would you like me to post it under this story as well in tandem with the Season 3 episodes?


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